Fluttering Feathers, Fluttering Hearts
by Remasa
Summary: Despite having Emilie back in their lives, the Miraculous wielders have a long journey ahead of them. Between Emilie's exhaustion, the lingering mistrust with Gabriel's recent redemption and the budding relationship between Adrien and Marinette, can they rebuild the bonds of strength and teamwork before the latest danger threatens to overtake them? Sequel to No One Mourns a Villain
1. Roommates

**_Day 1 - Roommates_**

* * *

Despite having Emilie back in their lives, the Miraculous wielders have a long journey ahead of them. Between Emilie's exhaustion, the lingering mistrust with Gabriel's recent redemption, and the budding relationship between Adrien and Marinette, can they rebuild the bonds of strength and teamwork before the latest danger threatens to overtake them? Sequel to "No One Mourns a Villain".

* * *

 _Written for Fluff Month 2018._

 _ **SPOILER NOTICE:** This is a sequel to " **No One Mourns a Villain** ". It takes place during that story, immediately following the main events but before the press conference referenced at the end of that story. It takes place prior to the story "It Takes a Village". This is Season 2 divergent – it does not follow the established canon from Season 2 onward, as I wrote "No One Mourns a Villain" way back in August 2017, long before Season 2 premiered. Any spoilers are accidental, coincidental, or merely hopeful._

* * *

Emilie couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face as she awoke that morning. The soft light in the room – shielded by many shades but still provided a dull glow – warmed her internally. It had been many months since she had seen daylight.

Not that she knew that, of course. To her, it felt as if she had slept for a week. Long, restful, fitful sleep. When she woke, everything had changed. Her son had matured and physically grown. Her husband looked as if he aged two decades in two years. But still she remained the same as she was when she vanished.

The twenty four hours or so that she had been freed did wipe away some of the years from Gabriel's face. His stern expression melted when he stared at her and remained ice-cream soft for a long time thereafter. His eyes glowed with a warmth she suspected had cooled in the months of her absence. Even now, his lithe arm wrapped around her midsection, pressing her flush against his chest. She hummed and snuggled into him, inhaling deeply. His other arm encircled her shoulders and he squeezed her gently. She blinked and turned around, meeting his blue eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," she apologized, her voice whisper-soft. She was still finding it difficult to recover her strength. The little excursion back home made her collapse in the armchair, much to the concern of everyone around her. Nooroo assured them that it would take time to recover her full strength, but Emilie would be fine soon enough. Gabriel didn't hesitate to scoop her into his arms during her kwami's rambling explanation. He carried her upstairs. She vaguely recalled him telling Adrien and his friend something, his chest rumbling pleasantly, but in her sleepy haze she couldn't make out the words.

"You didn't," he assured her with a small smile that probably hadn't been used in a couple of years.

"How long have you been awake?" she asked.

He groaned and rolled on his back, reaching for his tablet. He checked the time. "About an hour, I suppose."

"You didn't get up?" she asked, a bit alarmed. Her husband was nothing if not efficient with his time.

He chuckled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "As if I would ever leave you alone again," he replied.

She felt her cheeks heat up, embarrassed at her own lack of independence and at her husband's emotional decree. "I'll be fine, you know," she insisted.

"Mmhmm," he agreed, ducking his head lower and pressing a kiss to her temple. "But not now you're not. It's my job to ensure you get your strength back."

"You're just going to stay here with me all day?"

"Yes," he breathed out, his lips millimeters from her ear. She shivered as his breath tickled across her skin. "I know you're strong. But darling, I am not."

Emilie's breath caught in her throat.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I... I didn't realize."

"Shh," Gabriel shushed her, pulling away and resting one delicate finger upon her lips. "You've nothing to apologize for, my dear. I'm the one who will forever beg for forgiveness."

Tears sprang to her eyes, and Gabriel's hand moved to gently brush those away as well. He didn't appear angry or upset. The only emotion shining in his eyes was love. "I love you, Gabriel," she whispered.

"After everything I've done?" he queried, and it didn't take much for Emilie to pick up on the fragile hope in his question.

She nodded. "I will forever and always love you," she affirmed.

Gabriel relaxed, releasing muscles she hadn't realized he tensed. "I love you, Emilie."

He drew her back into his arms, and she buried her face into his shoulder for a moment. His hands brushed against her hair, his long fingers entwining into her corn silk strands. "But really, Gabriel, shouldn't you be getting up?" she asked after several minutes of soft breathing.

He chuckled. "Why? I have everything I need right here."

"Food?"

"I'll get some later."

"What about Adrien?"

"He's with Marinette," he said. "She woke me up ringing the bell. I let her in using the tablet. I think she said something about playing video games?"

Knowing she was fighting a losing battle, and seeing how she had already fought one of those, she relented to her husband's affections. "So you're just going to lay here?"

"Mmhmm."

"You're not worried about Adrien at all?"

"He'll be fine. He's practically an adult now."

"Uh huh, and your company?"

"Marinette can handle it."

"Marinette."

"Yep. She's very talented."

"She's a teenager."

"So?"

"That's not very responsible," she chided.

"I haven't been very responsible these last couple of years. I can wait another day to begin again."

"Gabriel!" she exclaimed.

He chuckled again. "I'll draw up a hot bath for you and bring you up some food."

"That sounds heavenly."

"But can we just lay here for a little while longer? Face the day in a little bit?" he asked. "I've missed this. I've missed you." His voice cracked at the end.

Emilie clutched his shirt and pulled herself as close to him as she could. "Of course, darling. I'll stay here with you as long as you'll have me."

She closed her eyes once more as Gabriel's slow, steady strokes in her hair lulled her back to sleep.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:** This is going to be a continuous story written for Fluff Month. I am doing something I've never done before: post before the story is completed! I'm only on Day 10 of prompts, but I have ideas for about 2/3 of them. Hope you guys enjoy this! Plenty of fluff incoming!_

 _Special thank you to **PerditaAlottachocolate** for beta-reading this, helping with ideas, and for the wonderful cover art she drew for this story! Check out her stories here or her artwork on her tumblr page!_


	2. Safe

_Day 2 – Safe_

When Emilie and Gabriel finally ventured out of their room, it was well past noon. Though Gabriel was content to lie in bed all day long, Emilie's stomach protested that decision. Together, they went in search of food.

"How has Nathalie been?" Emilie asked as they descended the stairs, Gabriel hovering near her for support in case she needed assistance.

"Tolerant of me," Gabriel replied. "More than any person has a right to be. She's working at the main office today, letting us all have some time alone." He chuckled as a thought struck him. "I expect she'll insist on managing all of our superhero scheduling conflicts as well."

Emilie smiled at him. "If anyone can do it, Nathalie can."

They ambled slowly toward the kitchen. Before they even reached the doors, they both heard voices on the other side. Emilie exchanged a curious look with Gabriel, and he stepped ahead of her to investigate. He pulled open the doors and stopped short. The voices quieted.

"What is going on here?" he asked.

Emilie stepped beside her husband and peeked inside.

Adrien and Marinette looked at them, guilt marring both of their expressions. Dirty bowls and plates surrounded them on the island countertop. A pile of cookies – freshly baked if the smell was anything to go by – was stacked on a large platter. A few crumbs of cheese was next to it, along with a handful of candy.

A couple of pink boxes were on the counter behind them. Their kwamis hovered around the two teenagers. Tikki held one of the cookies in her paws, the giant size almost comical compared to her tiny body as she chased the purple sprite. Nooroo seized the opportunity to dive into Marinette's hairdo, seeking sanctuary among the pigtails. Plagg was the exception to the excitement, sprawled on the countertop next to the remains of several cheese wrappers and for all appearances appeared to be asleep. That explained why there was no cheese left.

"Father!" Adrien exclaimed, and as he stepped forward Emilie noticed a light dusting of flour on his cheeks and hair. "We were just making some cookies for Tikki."

Ah, that made sense.

Gabriel, however, arched an eyebrow. "Really?" he drawled, clearly not believing a word out of his son's mouth.

Emilie frowned, ready to chastise her husband for not trusting their son's perfectly reasonable explanation when Gabriel indicated the pink boxes on the countertop.

"Doesn't Marinette live in a bakery?"

Oh. That could explain why Gabriel didn't believe them.

In reply, the two teens flushed at being caught. Gabriel continued to level a stern expression at them both.

Tikki flew forward and held up her cookie to Gabriel's face. "They really were making me cookies," she said. "Marinette brought over food, but Adrien said he wanted to learn how to make his own cookies for me."

Emilie cooed at the adorableness of the kwami (and her son) and Gabriel shot an exasperated look at her. _Really? You're siding with them?_ His expression seemed to say, but she saw the glint of mischief in there as well. She giggled and looped her arm around her husband's. "That seems plausible," she confessed, examining the cookie still floating in front of Gabriel's glasses.

He softened and plucked the cookie out of the air, studying it intently. Abruptly, he stuffed it whole in his mouth. Adrien and Marinette gasped in unison. Gabriel puffed out his cheeks comically and he munched on the treat.

"Okay, fine, I believe you," he said after he swallowed his purloined cookie. He entered the kitchen and headed over to the two gobsmacked children. He threw a wink at Tikki and Emilie over his shoulder. "But do you mean to tell me that you both have only eaten sweets today?" Emilie could tell his fatherly disapproval was only for show, but the younger heroes couldn't discern Gabriel's teasing.

"No, Mr. Agreste!" Marinette quickly jumped in. "I brought over sandwiches and stuff from my parents' bakery." She picked up the pink box and held it out to Gabriel. "See? We had toast and fruit for breakfast, and were just about to take a break for lunch. There are sandwiches in here, and I put a spinach salad and some cold pasta salad in the fridge along with the rest of the fruit from breakfast."

"Are you going to join us?" Adrien asked.

Marinette nodded. "I brought enough for everyone," she said, turning back around and pulling out another box from a bag that Emilie hadn't noticed on the floor.

Gabriel's stern expression cracked under their hasty explanations and a tiny smile appeared. "We would be honored, thank you," he said. Adrien ducked in the fridge and emerged with the aforementioned salads while Gabriel stepped beside him and pulled out a few bottles of fresh juice.

Gabriel had dismissed most of the staff for the day, which explained how Adrien and Marinette were able to have free reign over the kitchen. Emilie pulled out a few plates and followed them out of the kitchen. Plagg stirred from his slumber (which further confirmed to her that the black kwami was merely pretending to sleep) and the three kwamis trailed after her. Once they had settled inside the dining room, and after Marinette and Adrien both asked how she was feeling, they fell into a comfortable conversation. Emilie asked about Adrien's schooling, Gabriel inquired about some of Marinette's designs, and the four of them kept their topics to relatively safe lunchtime banter.

Until Marinette hesitantly asked a question. And from the worry reflected in Adrien's eyes, it was a question that the two teens had discussed previously.

"What happens if that thing attacks us here?" she asked.

"It won't," Gabriel immediately assured her.

"How can you be so certain?"

Gabriel set his fork down. "This house is protected."

"But your physical defenses won't do much against something magical," the girl insisted.

Her husband blinked in surprise. "Ah, I don't imagine Master Fu explained much to you," he said, suddenly understanding. "No, this house is quite safe," he repeated. "It has magical enchantments on it, both to shield the Miraculous wielders inside and also for protection against detection from other magical beings."

"What?" Both Adrien and Marinette exclaimed.

"It's somewhat of a standard procedure," Gabriel continued, "at least that's what Master Fu told us both years ago."

"Can he do my home, too?" Marinette asked.

The elder man shrugged and picked up his fork again. "If I had to wager a guess, those protections are already in place," he said. He turned his head to look at Tikki for confirmation.

The red sprite nodded. "Gabriel is correct, Marinette. Master Fu put those protections in place the day after you got your Miraculous. He's very meticulous. Your home is safe."

She visibly relaxed at that.

Adrien frowned. "Speaking of safes," he said, "have you retrieved your Miraculous yet, Father?"

Gabriel's hand stilled. He lowered his fork once more and Emilie noticed his hand trembled slightly. He avoided their looks, studying his plate. "I don't believe I am the best choice to hold a Miraculous anymore," he said in a quiet voice. "I forfeited that right a long time ago."

To everyone's surprise, it was Nooroo who spoke first.

"That's not true!" he exclaimed, flying right into Gabriel's face. "You've changed! You were chosen to wield Duusu's Miraculous all those years ago, and you still are the perfect fit for it."

Emilie rested her hand upon her husband's arm. "I need my partner," she said. He turned his head to look at her, and something flashed in his eyes that she couldn't quite read. "You promised we would be partners forever. Don't tell me you're going to back out of that," she said. He closed his eyes and turned his head away.

"It's not my decision anymore," he said.

Adrien stood then, scraping the chair against the floor as he pushed it away. "Then let's go and see, right?" He strode out of the kitchen. Seeing no one else following him, he turned back and stared at them. "Well? Let's go ask Duusu what she thinks about all of this," he said.

Emilie squeezed Gabriel's arm and rose as well. Gabriel reluctantly followed suit, entwining his fingers into hers. She knew this time, he would need her support. Marinette and the kwamis brought up the rear. Inside the atelier, Adrien had pushed aside the painting and stood next to the safe with his arms folded across his chest.

"Well?" he said. "I can get Plagg to open this up again, but you already know the combination."

Gabriel squared his shoulders and the familiar neutral facade washed over him. In his eyes, his neutrality and poker face was as much a shield to keep him safe as the very walls surrounding their home. His hand slipped from hers as he approached the safe. He tapped in the combination and the door opened.

He reached out with one hand, his fingers hesitating mere centimeters from touching the pin inside. Emilie stepped up beside him and squeezed his hand. His fingers grabbed the pin. He turned back to the others, holding it in his palm. He closed his eyes. Marinette and Adrien watched in silence.

After a long moment, a blinding blue light burst from the pin. Gabriel opened his eyes as the others shielded theirs. When they finished blinking away spots from their vision, a blue feathered kwami faced Gabriel.

"Hello, Duusu," he greeted, his voice a breathless whisper of softness.

"Gabriel!" she shrieked, launching herself at his cheek. He chuckled and moved his hand to cup her, but the excitable kwami couldn't be contained. As soon as his fingers came close to touching her, she shot away, up and over his head. She twirled in his hair, mussing the strands. Gabriel reached up to follow, but she zoomed away, zipping around his neck and swirling around his jacket and hands before cuddling against his cheek again. Emilie's heart melted at the fond smile that appeared on her husband's face.

"Ugh, and I thought Tikki was the overly dramatic one," a nasal voice drawled, breaking the moment.

Everyone turned to the cat kwami. "Plagg!" Tikki admonished, but she was cut off by an excited shriek.

"Plagg!"

And a blue blur collided with the black kwami, tumbling end over end until they could barely tell the two colors apart. Tikki giggled.

"Argh, Duusu! Stop! Knock it off! Yes, yes, it's me and I know I'm amazing now would you cut it out!"

Duusu finally ceased her bear hug of Plagg, calming down as she preened and smiled at him. At least until she turned and spotted Tikki and Nooroo floating nearby. She shot at them with another shriek.

It took another ten minutes to stop the four kwamis from chasing each other around the room. Miraculously, they didn't knock over anything, electing to phase in and out between the mannequins and seeking temporary refuge among the different humans before darting away with another giggle.

"See, darling, I think Duusu's accepted you back," Emilie said while the magical creatures reunited. "And we certainly have. Is that enough for you?"

Gabriel pondered the question for a long moment. "No," he said at last. He gave her a sad smile. "It never will be enough to make up for what I have done. But I will certainly try." He squeezed her hands with both of his. "From now on, I will do my best to keep everyone safe."

* * *

 _Author's Note: I love Duusu, she's my favorite kwami behind Plagg._


	3. Summer Love

_Day 3 – Summer Love_

Once the kwamis settled down and Duusu stopped flitting between everyone like a spastic hummingbird, the humans followed suit and moved to the more comfortable sitting area outside of the atelier. Adrien sat next to his mother. He seemed just as eager as Gabriel was to catch up with his mom and the two of them went back and forth for a long time asking questions and telling stories. That left Gabriel and Marinette, who felt awkward intruding in their private family affair despite their assurances, to make their own small talk.

Like lunch, they kept their topics to simple discussions, with Gabriel roping her into a lengthy debate on upcoming trends and styles before dropping back off into a lull. He was contemplating asking if she wanted to attend an upcoming fashion show when she bit her lip, cast a glance over to his wife and son, and looked up to meet his eyes. "Can I ask you a personal question, Mr. Agreste?" She lowered her voice as to not be overheard.

He nodded.

"Did you and your wife know each others' identities right away?"

He wasn't expecting a question like that. He blinked. She noticed. "I'm sorry if that's too private," she began.

"No," he said, interrupting her. "It was just unexpected is all."

"Adrien and I spent the morning looking up old articles on you and Mrs. Agreste from when you were both active. It got me thinking..." She trailed off and snuck another look at Adrien.

"Yes and no," Gabriel answered suddenly, snapping her attention back to him. "We didn't start out knowing each others' civilian identities, but we shared them after about a week or two. It was more of an afterthought," he recalled fondly, his eyes staring unseeing at some point in the distance, "rather than any serious need for a reveal. We were both so stoked about our powers that the concept of talking outside of our suits didn't really come up at all until the new excitement faded. We were too absorbed in the spectacular side of things to have remembered the practical."

Marinette didn't interrupt. She leaned forward, fascinated with his story.

Gabriel smiled down at her. "Of course, our stories were vastly different than yours. We both didn't get our Miraculouses until your current age. And we didn't actually know each other in our civilian form."

"You didn't?" She seemed surprised at this.

He chuckled. "Serendipity seems to only apply to you two," he remarked. "We went to different schools, but exchanged our AOL screen names. We would spend hours chatting online and getting to know one another. We hung out after school and on weekends as best as we could. Even though we didn't attend the same school, we were best friends. Our parents were baffled to how we met. I told mine that it was at one of those youth center dances they pushed me to attend a few months prior. You should have seen their faces – beaming, smug, 'I told you that you would enjoy it' looks of satisfaction. They never knew the truth.

"Neither one of us was very popular," he continued. "We each had one or two friends, but honestly? We were our own best friends. I counted down the minutes until school let out so I could rush home and tell Emilie all about my day. This was long before texting was even available, and the internet and chat rooms were at its infancy and just barely beginning to take hold in popularity.

"I found myself sketching for hours, all to show her the next time we met. We spent all summer together as much as we could. Our relationship confused my friends, who were convinced I was making her up. She confessed her friends found it cute and endearing." Gabriel felt his cheeks heat up at this. "Imagine my delight when on the first day back to school, we're introduced to a new student." He stared over at Emilie, once again smitten with the memories of that summer. She looked up and met his eyes. She smiled, and Gabriel's heart hammered wildly in his chest. "It was her. I could barely contain my joy. Since then, we were never apart."

"That is the most romantic thing I've ever heard," Marinette sighed, and he jerked as he suddenly remembered she was there. She had her chin propped on her hands and stared at him, her eyes glazing over as she imagined the scene described to her. Beside her, Tikki mirrored her expression. He coughed in embarrassment, his cheeks warming up again.

"So, does that answer your question?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered. "Thank you for sharing that part of your life with me. But do you think...?" She trailed off again, stealing another look over at Adrien.

He suddenly understood. "I think my son is quite taken by you," he said, hoping to cheer her up.

"Is he? Adrien?"

"He's the only son I have, last I checked," he teased.

Now it was her turn to flush in embarrassment. "I don't know," she mumbled as she stared morosely at the ground, "it's all so confusing. I was hoping that you and Mrs. Agreste would have a similar story and I could get some advice from that. This is so weird. Adrien and I have known each other this entire time, and yet... we haven't."

Gabriel placed one hand upon her shoulder. She looked up. "I'm sure he's trying to figure things out, too," he said. "Love doesn't have a template or a perfect checklist of things to hit. It just happens. And it takes a lot of work to make it keep happening. Is my son worth that much work to you?"

"Of course!" she insisted.

"Then don't despair. Let things happen naturally, and they'll fall into place. There's no need to rush. Begin by being the friends you've been in costume, only now without those limitations blocking you. I'm certain things will work out for the best."

She beamed at him and he blinked at the uncanny resemblance to his wife's blinding smile. "Thank you, Mr. Agreste!"

It was his first attempt to do something heroic, and it felt really good.

Later that evening, after he told Emilie about their conversation, she had turned to him with a chuckle. "Well, darling, if they take _too_ long with sorting out their feelings, I have a few ideas on how we can push them along."

Gabriel kissed the top of his wife's head. "I knew there was a reason I loved you, my dear."

* * *

 _Author's Note: Yes, AOL was extremely popular in France in the mid- to late- 90s. Thank you, Professor Google._


	4. Can't Transform

_Day 4 – Can't Transform_

"I don't mean to sound like I'm nagging," Marinette began, twisting her hands nervously as she faced both Gabriel and Emilie head on. "But we really should release a statement to the public about Hawkmoth's uhm... defeat. And well, we uh..."

Adrien stepped in. "We need Paon and Papillon to make an appearance again."

Husband and wife exchanged glances. "They're right, you know," Emilie murmured. "If we're to convince the public that Hawkmoth is done with, I need to show up as the new wielder."

Gabriel swallowed hard. "But the public doesn't need me," he said.

Emilie stepped close to him. "But _I_ need you. I don't know if I'm strong enough to do this alone."

He closed his eyes and pulled her against him.

Marinette spoke up again. "If you two aren't feeling up for it, Adrien and I could come up with enough of an explanation on our own."

"No," Gabriel said, opening his eyes. "I've put this off long enough," he said. He took a deep breath. "I think I'm ready." He pulled away and brushed against the silver tie pin on the top of his ascot. "Duusu, Quills Open."

The pin fanned open and flashed blue as Gabriel assumed the blue-suited form of his alter ego. Uncertainty was still written on his face as he cast an apprehensive look towards the group.

"You look great, Father." Adrien's words of approval brought a small smile to his face. Beside him, Marinette nodded in agreement.

"I really like the way the colors blend together," she added.

With that, Paon laughed. "Trust a designer to point out the fashion elements," he said.

They turned toward Emilie. "Your turn now, darling," Paon encouraged.

Emilie's smile faded as her fingers brushed against the locket on her shirt. The seconds passed as the hesitation grew into an uncomfortable silence. Her head shot up as she felt a hand gently touch her shoulder. Her husband smiled in understanding. "Adrien, you and Marinette should start heading to the press conference," he said. "We'll meet you there."

Adrien nodded and the two younger heroes left the room.

"I can't do this, Gabriel," she whispered. "I'm too weak. Too scared."

Without replying, Paon scooped her up in his arms. She let out a surprised squeak. He chuckled and carried her over to the back window. "Hold on tight, darling."

She tightened her hands around his neck as he opened the window and shot out of their home. He soared up, high above the rooftops and gliding around the Eiffel Tower and swooping around for several blocks until he landed on a quiet rooftop. He set her down but kept his hands resting upon her hips.

"Do you remember this place?" he asked, staring at her as she looked around.

She nodded. "It's where we first met. As superheroes."

"It's more than that," Paon said. He dropped his transformation and then it was Gabriel looking at her once more. Gabriel staring at her without that mask, both metaphorical and physical, covering his face. "This is the place we swore we would always be partners. Do you remember?"

Of course she remembered. She looked away. "Yes," she whispered, ashamed that she couldn't live up to that vow anymore.

Gabriel lifted her chin with one finger, delicately turning her face toward his. "I don't deserve a partner like you," he admitted. "One who selflessly dove in front of attacks. One who sacrificed herself to save the world. One who brightens up a room just by existing. You're the North Star in my life, always guiding me to something better when the world around me darkens."

Emilie blinked up at him. This emotional outpouring from her husband nearly broke her. While she was used to his over-the-top romantic claims from their earlier years of dating and marriage, she knew he could close himself off quite well if the situation warranted. It wasn't often Gabriel Agreste allowed his shields to drop – to allow the opportunity for him to get hurt in more ways than just physical.

His lips curved into a crooked grin. The same grin that stole her heart all those many years ago. "Please be my partner? I believe in you. I'll protect you. I give you my solemn word."

Her breath caught in her throat. "How do you remember what I said after all this time?" she asked, her voice nothing more than a hoarse whisper.

His grin turned full. "Because it inspired me. _You_ inspired me. Your words gave me the courage I lacked. Of course I would remember verbatim what you told me that day."

"What if I can't?" she asked.

"You can."

"What if I make the same mistakes as before?"

"We have teammates now."

"He's our son, Gabriel!"

He kissed the top of her head. "Wait until you see him fight. He's quite the spitfire in action. He gets that from you. And his girlfriend keeps him on his toes."

Emilie chuckled. "They're dating?"

Gabriel shrugged. "Unfortunately not yet. We'll have to keep the embarrassing stories to a minimum for the time being." His grin turned mischievous. "But hopefully not for very much longer."

She laughed and placed her head on his chest, resting one palm next to her cheek. His long arms surrounded her. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, drinking in the comforting scent of his lingering cologne and the crisp late spring air. "Okay," she said at last. "I'm ready."

Several minutes later, a flurry of blue and purple descended upon a platform in the middle of Paris, where Ladybug and Chat Noir had already begun answering questions from the gathered crowd.

"Hello, Paris," Papillon greeted, blowing a kiss to the people. "Did you miss us?"


	5. Dedication

_Day 5 – Dedication_

They had attracted more attention than he had anticipated, too, as when the four of them finally reconvened back at the house, they discovered a tiny old man in the foyer. He sat on one of the plush chairs in the corner, patiently sipping tea out of a cup.

"Master Fu, you're back!" Marinette had gasped, recognizing the elderly mentor.

"Hello, Marinette." He set the cup aside. "I see quite a lot has happened in the short time I was gone." He looked at Gabriel.

Marinette flushed. "Sorry, Master Fu, it all happened rather abruptly."

"I understand. I am curious, however, as to the circumstances leading to this admittedly joyous conclusion." Again, he focused upon Gabriel.

"Nice to see you again, too, Master Fu." Gabriel didn't hold back a slight sarcasm to the words. Beside him, resting against his shoulder, Emilie rolled her eyes.

"I apologize for my husband, Master Fu. It is a joyous occasion to be sure, having you with us again."

Gabriel grumbled. "Yes, I am inclined to agree with my wife," he said at last. "Forgive my rudeness."

Master Fu smiled. "Think nothing of it," he said. He bent down and reached into a small pack next to the chair, withdrawing a wrapped paper package which he held out to Emilie. "For your health," he stated. "This tea blend will help restore your energy faster. This transformation has taken its toll on you, yes?"

Emilie nodded sheepishly even as Gabriel tightened his grip on her shoulders. "Thank you," she said, accepting the package. Master Fu held out another cup to her.

"I've taken the liberty of preparing a cup now," he said. "Its effects won't last long, but it should give you enough energy for a little while."

She accepted the still-steaming cup of tea. A small fond smile graced her lips. "You still have this set?" she remarked, hefting the heavy cast-iron cup.

Master Fu merely favored her with one of his mysterious smiles. "The energies have been seeping for many years. It adds to the flavor."

She smiled and sipped at the tea.

"Okay, I'm confused. You guys all know each other?" Adrien asked. Marinette's expression matched his.

"Of course. Who do you think gave us our Miraculouses?" said Emilie.

"I confess I didn't know Gabriel had taken over Emilie's Miraculous after she had fallen," Master Fu admitted. Gabriel shifted on his feet.

"Shall we convene somewhere more comfortable?" Gabriel asked, clearly eager to divert the talk from his prior villainy.

Master Fu stood and gathered his satchel. Adrien jumped over. "Allow me, Master Fu?" he offered. The older man smiled and handed Adrien his satchel. The boy's eyes widened slightly under the heavy weight. Gabriel turned to Emilie and assisted her as he led the way to the sitting room. He made sure she was seated comfortably, pulling over a small end table to rest her teacup on and unfolding a small blanket to tuck around her legs. When he finished doting upon his wife, he straightened and turned to find the rest of the group staring at him, with expressions ranging from fascination (Adrien) to amusement (Master Fu) to dreamy (Marinette). He blushed under their scrutiny and hurried to take his own seat.

"Master Fu bestowed upon us our two Miraculouses," Gabriel began in a clipped, short tone. "After Emilie... well, after she vanished, I attempted to contact Master Fu for assistance. I could not locate him at all."

"My apologies for not being there for you in your greatest hour, Gabriel," Master Fu answered, serene and unperturbed. "I was following up on a similar lead in another part of the country and when I came back, I didn't realize Emilie was gone until Hawkmoth began to surface."

"But you said the Butterfly and the Peacock Miraculouses were lost," Marinette spoke up.

"I wasn't wrong," Master Fu replied. "I sensed their energies had vanished. I did fear the worst and hurried back to Paris, but by then the damage was done and it was only a couple of months later that I felt the Butterfly reactivate."

A small cough interrupted Master Fu, who rolled his eyes. "Yes, okay, my kwami Wayzz sensed the Miraculous being activated after months of inactivity." A tiny green kwami poked out from beneath the collar of Master Fu's gaudy shirt and flew into the middle of the group.

"Wayzz!"

Gabriel groaned and buried his head in his hands as his excitable blue kwami popped up from inside his jacket with a shriek and rocketed toward Wayzz, tackling him in a giant hug. The sudden movement startled the green turtle-like creature so much both kwamis plummeted to the ground.

"Ack! Duusu!"

Master Fu smiled at the two kwami. Nooroo, Tikki and Plagg all peeked out cautiously from their hiding spots on their respective chosen. "I think poor Wayzz has had enough, Duusu," Tikki remarked. The blue kwami released Wayzz with a gasp and darted back over to nest in Gabriel's hair, much to his visible displeasure. He didn't bother to move her, however, as she fluffed up the strands. Satisfied, she burrowed into her makeshift resting place and watched everyone from her high vantage point. Wayzz retreated back to the safety of Master Fu.

"I won't be long," Master Fu began. "As I know that Emilie's recovery is the highest priority right now. I know the looming threat might seem to be a higher priority, but without the full strength of our Miraculous wielders, we may find ourselves in dire straits once again. Gabriel's swift actions earlier have bought us some valuable time to plan and recover."

Emilie beamed a warm smile at her husband. He ducked his head at the minor praise, almost dislodging his kwami, who squawked and clung to a few strands of hair until she stabilized herself. "Emilie and I trained for these encounters for years," Gabriel explained, unperturbed by his kwami's antics. "Though I could not fully channel her powers, I knew enough of how to effectively handle weaker monsters. When I saw that creature mold directly from the ether, I knew that the time had arrived for me to stop dallying. I had to recover Emilie no matter the cost. The portals were starting to reopen."

"You mentioned that earlier," Marinette spoke up, her soft voice carrying clear across the room, "that your wife's powers were best suited to fighting off these creatures. What did you mean by that?"

Gabriel looked to her. "The Butterfly Miraculous is about change. It creates heroes – and villains – by changing them into something else. Likewise, the most effective way to destroy these creatures is to send a pure akuma to be absorbed by them. It changes their fundamental makeup and the monster simply vanishes back to the ether. Your power of cleansing only affects other Miraculous holders. Tikki mops up the collateral damage of the battle. Nooroo _is_ the battle."

"And you couldn't do that yourself?" Marinette asked.

He shook his head. "It requires great harmony between the user and kwami."

Duusu poked her head up from her blond nest. "And Gabe is best tuned into my energies," she chirped happily.

"I've been meaning to ask about that," Adrien said. "How did you get to be paired with such an uhm... _overeager_ kwami?" His attempt at delicately wording the question was spoiled by the large grin on his face.

Gabriel leveled his best "fatherly glower" at Adrien even as Emilie giggled next to him. Adrien simply flashed his father a cheeky smile, completely unaffected by the glare.

"It's passion!" Duusu answered for him. "My wielders are always passionate! Gabriel hides his emotions really well now, but when I first got paired with him he couldn't hardly keep them contained. We would spend _hours_ talking about lots of things: Miraculouses, our mission, his art, school, Emilie. He's still super passionate about fashion and art and oh, the energies I sense from him even now are still really amazing and inspiring!"

"Okay, _thank you_ , Duusu," Gabriel interrupted, forcing out the words through clenched teeth. Adrien and Marinette looked to one another and immediately burst into giggles, which they hastily stifled. Not even Gabriel's fearsome glare could keep the two teens sober.

"I think I need to uh, start working on my homework," Adrien said, shooting to his feet and avoiding looking at anyone directly in the eye.

"Yes, me too!" Marinette chimed in, mimicking his actions. Both kids ran out of the room without waiting for a response. Once out of sight, the adults heard the sounds of giggles trailing after them. Gabriel sighed.

"I don't suppose either one of them will let me forget this," he muttered.

"Probably not, dear," Emilie said, fighting to keep her own smile from showing. She sipped her tea to help disguise her amusement.

"Gabriel, I do have two requests of you," Master Fu said.

"Anything," he answered instantly.

"First, I need to borrow Marinette and Adrien both sometime soon, probably in the next day or two. I would like to use their assistance in setting up tests for potential new recruits."

Gabriel nodded. "Done. I'll clear Adrien's schedule and reach out to Marinette's parents. I could spin some type of internship or fashion-related gig that should suffice."

"Thank you. The second is that I request you continue your original mission and do some more research on this threat. There must be another one that opened up somewhere. I have a feeling that these new monsters are only going to grow stronger. Call it a gut feeling, if you will, as I have nothing to back it up. Even though Emilie closed a critical portal, that has not seemed to stop their appearance anymore."

"No," Gabriel said, "I concur. I also feel that we are approaching a critical hour. We'll need to be ready."

"I know you developed some contacts that may have information on past attacks," Master Fu continued. "I'll keep working on deciphering the book in the meantime. Though I doubt it will reveal how to counter this particular threat, it will shed light on new abilities for each of you."

Emilie yawned into her hand. Both men turned to her. "I apologize," she said.

Master Fu rose from his seat. "No, it is I who should apologize. I have kept you up far too long considering you've had a strenuous day. Get your rest, Emilie. Gabriel, I shall be in touch."

The designer rose and escorted Master Fu to the entrance. When he returned, Emilie blinked up at him, fighting exhaustion. He walked over, bent down, and scooped her up in his arms. "Off to bed with you, my dear," he said. She didn't even protest like she normally would. She simply snuggled against him, sound asleep before he even reached the first stair.

He gently placed her in their bed, tucking the covers around her neck nice and snug. He stooped over and placed a tender kiss on her temple. He would love to crawl into bed with her right then and there, but he had other responsibilities to attend to. After one last glance to ensure she was still asleep, he hurried back downstairs to grab his tablet and the tea packet. The dirty cup could wait until the next day.

When he returned upstairs, he pulled a chair close to the bed and turned on the tablet. Though he had work to do, he wasn't going to leave his wife's side. He tapped on the screen, frowning as he pulled up old notes and folders he had hidden away from his younger years. This would take a while to sort through. He looked over at his wife. But he could do it. They wouldn't make the same mistakes as before. This time, they would be adequately prepared. This time, they would have a foolproof plan. This time, he wouldn't miss anything that could harm his family.

This time, he vowed to be the hero instead of the villain.


	6. Recovery

_Day 6 – Recovery (Day 7's prompt)_

The following morning, the press conference was the only thing Parisians could talk about. Gabriel hid a smile as he read the articles on his tablet. Emilie slept soundly beside him. She mumbled under her breath and turned on her side. He looked over to see if she would wake up, but she merely curled one hand under her chin and continued dozing.

The smile he had been fighting surfaced and he resisted the urge to reach over and stroke her hair, not wanting even the most delicate of touches to disturb her. She needed all the rest she could get. He continued perusing the articles for several long moments when he felt a pair of eyes on him.

He looked back over to Emilie and discovered her staring at him.

"Good morning," he said in a quiet voice.

"Morning," she answered. "Whatcha doin'?"

He slipped into the bed beside her and pulled her against his chest. "Reading up on the press conference yesterday," he replied, showing her the articles. "We made quite the stir."

She giggled. "We always do, darling."

He smiled again, running his fingers through her soft golden strands as she flicked through the article he already read. She chuckled as she scanned through the comments, many of them speculating on the identities of the heroes (and a few ruminating over the disappearance of Hawkmoth).

"Where is Adrien?"

"At school," Gabriel replied. "I imagine he and Marinette will be over later this afternoon."

"I'd like to be up to greet them."

"Emilie..."

"No, Gabriel, I know that I need to regain my strength but, well I don't want to worry Adrien if it looks like I'm not getting better fast enough. I need to put out some reassurance for him. He frets almost as much as you do."

He sighed, set his tablet aside, and reached over to the nightstand for a mug he had sitting on the warming plate. He handed it to Emilie. "I know, my dear, but I don't want you to get worse. If you need a few more days of bed rest then Adrien will understand."

"Ugh," she grumbled, pushing herself into a sitting position and taking a sip of the steaming brewed tea. "I hate being useless."

Gabriel snatched the mug from her hands and held it up high. She squawked in protest, reaching for it. He scooped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him, pressing his lips firmly against hers. Her protests died as she returned the passionate kiss.

"You're not useless," Gabriel breathed out once they broke the kiss. "You're never useless."

"You're just saying that because you have to," Emilie joked, once more reaching for the mug. Gabriel's long arms kept it just out of reach.

"Nuh-uh," he chided. "Not until you say it."

She harrumphed and pouted and crossed her arms but finally relented. "Okay _fine,_ " she grumbled. "I'm not useless."

Gabriel lowered the mug, where she grabbed it from his hands with a possessiveness that brought another grin to his face. "You're never useless. Ever," he repeated firmly.

A tiny smile at his heartfelt confidence in her appeared as she sipped her tea. "Are you going to stay in bed all day?" she asked.

"What better way to spend it than with you?"

"You're turning into a lazy bum," she chided, her eyes sparkling in jest.

"I'm multitasking," he insisted.

"Uh huh." He didn't even need to see the arching eyebrow to know she didn't believe him.

He pulled up a few tabs and angled the tablet back to her. "Master Fu's research request. I'm doing _my_ job," he teased, "now it's time you did yours."

"Which is?"

"Get better."

"Stay in bed, you mean."

"I didn't say that," Gabriel said. "Later I'll draw you up a bubble bath and you can enjoy a relaxing evening with candles and scented oils."

"Sounds divine," she agreed. "But can I get a rain check on that? I'm not up for soaking around in a tub tonight."

He nodded. "You should know by now I'll agree with anything you ask at this point."

Her grin turned wicked. "Anything?" she asked, the innocence in her voice jarring with her devious smile.

"Anything in particular you had in mind?" he answered.

She handed him the mug and he placed it back on the warmer without being told. Then she grabbed his lapels and dragged him to her for another long kiss.

"My dear," he murmured between kisses, "I don't believe this is part of your recovery."

"Are you a doctor now?" she answered, breathless and persistent.

"No," he answered.

"Then shut up and stop antagonizing me by arguing."

He relented and fell back into her embrace.

* * *

 _Author's Note: I commissioned my friend SinfulPapillon to draw a lovely sketch of the scene where Gabriel and Emilie are curled up reading in bed. You can see it on her Tumblr profile or on the story linked in AO3. I cannot link external websites here, sorry!_


	7. Cooking & Baking

_Day 7 – Cooking/Baking (Day 6's prompt)_

When the two of them finally managed to shower and change into something decent, it was nearly time for Adrien (and by proxy, Marinette) to be returning home. But first, Gabriel wanted to try something he hadn't done in years. Two years, to be exact.

Emilie sat at the kitchen counter, sipping another mug of tea as she watched Gabriel scurry around the kitchen seeking the correct ingredients. He had already sent Nathalie a list, and while most of them she had delivered by the time they descended the stairs, there were several she scratched out with a note stating "it's already in the kitchen cabinets". However, she neglected to tell him exactly _where_ in the kitchen said cabinets were, and that currently led to his frantic search in the kitchen and (he suspected) Nathalie's distant amusement at his ineptitude.

"Can't you have the chef prepare it?" Emilie asked.

"No way!" Duusu squawked, zipping from where she had been circling around Gabriel's head like child at Christmastime. "Gabriel makes the _best_ recharge food! He always adds in those extra walnuts and you know I _love_ walnuts!"

"Oh dear, did Nathalie remember to get the walnuts?" Emilie asked, tapping her lip as she mulled over her question.

Duusu let out a gasp of horror and immediately darted over to the pile of bought ingredients, wringing her little kwami paws in high-strung anxiety as she dove in and out of the packages. "Oh no! She forgot the walnuts! She had to have forgotten the walnuts! They're the best part! Gabriel, _we don't have any walnuts_!"

Gabriel peeked his head out from where he had poked it into a cabinet and shot the dirtiest look he could muster at his wife. She giggled. "Calm down, Duusu, the walnuts are right there on the corner. Three bags worth, actually."

"Oh okay. Good. That's good. I like walnuts." Relieved, she darted back over to Gabriel and nestled in his hair as he pulled out a bags of sugar and flour and handfuls of different spices.

"You did that on purpose," he accused his wife.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied, widening her eyes in the innocent manner she knew could fool him.

"Don't even bother with that. Adrien's been using those on me for years. You knew the walnuts were right there in front of you."

Well darn, it looks like Gabriel was becoming a bit immune to her deceptions. She returned to silently drinking her tea as her husband finished gathering the required ingredients. Duusu passed out in a discarded flour bag shortly after Gabriel began dumping ingredients in a bowl, pausing to close his eyes and check his mental recipe for a moment or two before resuming his actions.

He was in the middle of stirring a large batch of batter when Adrien and Marinette entered.

"Uh, what are you doing, Father?" Adrien asked, slowly looking around the kitchen. Emilie smiled at him and waggled her fingers at Marinette, who returned it with a shy smile of her own.

"Making food for Duusu," Gabriel replied, setting the bowl down and grabbing a tin bread mold.

"What is her favorite food?" Marinette asked.

"Banana nut bread," he replied.

"Do you need any assistance?" she asked, stepping over to peek into the bowl. "My parents are bakers and I often help them out in the baker—whoa, that's a lot of nuts in there," she exclaimed.

"Duusu likes extra walnuts," he explained, pouring the thick batter into the tins. Marinette held one in place. "And please keep your voices down, she just went to sleep not too long ago and I don't want her to wake-"

"Hey guys!" Duusu popped up from inside the flour bag.

Gabriel groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "-up," he finished lamely.

"Guess what? Gabe is making me my favorite food! With the extra nuts! I love walnuts. I love all kinds of seeds, actually, but he wouldn't put poppy seeds or sesame seeds or pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds inside banana nut bread, so I told him to use extra bags of nuts and he makes the _best_ bread for me since I love banana nut bread the best. It's even better than lemon poppy seed bread or poppy seed bagels or sesame crackers, but if you have any sesame crackers I would eat those too. They're nice to eat for a fast recharge but I love banana nut bread the best and Gabe always used to make it for me. He makes the best bread!"

Duusu shook herself hard, like a bird in a water bath, shaking all the flour off of her. It settled on the countertop in a fine white mist. The others gaped at her.

"Wow, you managed that all in one breath, too," Adrien said, impressed.

"You know, Duusu, I live in a bakery. I could always bring you over some breads and stuff if you want. For when Mr. Agreste is too busy to make any," Marinette offered.

Tikki peeked out from her purse. "Marinette makes the best cookies," she chimed in.

"Wow okay thanks Marinette! I'll have to try your bread sometime. But I know that Gabe's bread is going to be better-"

Here, Adrien snickered. "You mean _batter_?" he interrupted. Marinette swatted his arm.

Duusu cocked her head to one side. "Why would it be batter? Batter is what happens to bread before it's bread!"

"Uhm, nevermind," Adrien quickly said.

Gabriel chuckled. "Duusu tends to take things a bit literally," he explained. "She was never one to appreciate my delightful wordplay."

Tikki flew out of the purse. "Oh, can you make me some cookies, too?" she asked.

"You have a fresh batch that I gave you this morning," Marinette said. "What did you do with them?"

"Uhm..." The red kwami didn't blush, but she bowed her head bashfully.

"You ate _all_ of the cookies I gave you? There were nearly a dozen in there!"

"Yeah, _were._ "

Adrien laughed. "And I thought Plagg was the glutton."

"They're really good cookies!" Tikki protested.

"Yes, they are," Adrien agreed.

"You can wait until we get home then," Marinette said.

"Please?"

"No."

"Pleeeeease?" Tikki magically enchanted her eyes to widen pitifully. Adrien, catching onto Tikki's plan, stood next to the kwami and widened his own eyes, jutting out his lower lip into a pout to make up for his lack of magical enhancements.

"Ugh, those cute little eyes aren't going to work on me!" Marinette folded her arms.

"So you admit that I have cute eyes?" Adrien asked, blinking in perfect innocence.

"Ack! No! I mean, yes you have cute eyes! Wait, no! You eyes have! I mean! You have eyes. Eyes that are wide and cute-"

"I have leftover flour," Gabriel interrupted. "We can make some recharge food for Tikki too if you want."

Relieved, Marinette turned to him. "Yes, please!" she answered, immediately seizing upon any distraction. Behind her back, Tikki and Adrien high-fived. "Wait!" She turned back to Adrien and Tikki, both of whom instantly assumed angelic poses. "You tricked me!" She thrust out her finger at each of them in turn.

"Marinette, I would never intentionally trick you like that," Tikki explained. Gabriel held up his hand behind Marinette's back and Adrien tapped it in a silent high-five while the young girl was distracted by her kwami. "But we shouldn't argue in front of Mr. Agreste. He's been so kind to offer the use of his kitchen."

She flipped back around, and Gabriel's poker face slid into place not a moment too soon. "I suppose then I'm outnumbered," she said. "You don't mind?"

Gabriel shook his head, sticking the bread pans in the oven and setting the timer. "Go ahead."

"Father, do you want to help?" Adrien asked.

He blinked in surprise and turned to his wife, who had been watching the entire exchange with unconcealed amusement. "Go on, dear, show me if you can bake some delicious cookies better than Marinette."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Agreste," Marinette assured her, "I'll keep a few set aside for you to eat after you pretend to like Mr. Agreste's."

As Emilie laughed, Gabriel sent both ladies an affronted look. "Fine," he huffed, "I'll just help out Adrien, then." He grabbed a clean bowl and began to measure out flour while Adrien pulled out the chocolate chips and butter.

"Get some cheese while you're in there," Plagg piped up. Adrien complied.

"Oh, and some of those jam-filled tarts," Nooroo added.

And as the kwamis settled down beside Emilie, she watched as her husband and son were soundly defeated in an impromptu baking contest by a tiny pig-tailed girl.

Duusu still claimed his banana nut bread was the best.

* * *

 _Author's Note: This was one of my favorite chapters to write._

 _Additionally, PerditaAlottachocolate drew a lovely picture for this chapter. It's posted on her Tumblr page! Do check it out!_


	8. Late Nights

_Day 8 – Late Nights_

After the four of them had eaten their fill of chocolate chip cookies, and their kwamis gorged on their preferred food, Emilie excused herself to head back to her room to nap. Marinette also bid farewell and took off for her home. Gabriel headed to his office to get some work done at his desk. Adrien trailed behind, reading the articles on the press conference held the previous day on his father's tablet. Duusu floated ahead, finishing up the last mouthful of banana nut bread. She promptly curled up on the edge of his desk and fell asleep as Gabriel settled in.

After Adrien finished teasing his father about the article's glowing praises for Paon and Papillon, Gabriel managed to put in a few solid hours of work, narrowing down a few sources he had been in contact with several years prior. He glanced at the time as he set his pen aside and stretched. It was nearly midnight. Too late to call anyone tonight. He would have to do it in the morning. He sighed as his back cracked and popped. Maybe he was getting too old for this superheroing stuff.

He gathered up his tablet in one hand, scooped up Duusu in the other, and headed upstairs. After depositing Duusu beside Nooroo in their little beds and his tablet on the nightstand, he changed and prepared for bed in silence, slipping under the covers beside his slumbering wife in a short time. He snuggled up close to her, closing his eyes and drifting off into the delightful pre-sleep lull.

 _Ding!_

He groaned as his tablet's alarm alerted him to new notifications. He decided to ignore it and buried his head deeper into his pillow.

 _Ding!_

"You know it has to be important, dear," Emilie murmured.

"I know," he sighed. He only set notifications for critical things. With another long-suffering groan, he twisted over and groped around blindly for his tablet and glasses. Placing his glasses upon his nose, he clicked the tablet on and swiped past the lock screen. He blinked for a few minutes, adjusting to the brightness. "You've got to be kidding me," he mumbled.

"What is it?" Emilie asked, turning over to face him.

In response, he flipped the tablet around to show her. A blurry image obviously taken from a distance showed the distinct figures of Ladybug and Chat Noir sitting on top of the Eiffel Tower. An additional comment read "Ladybug and Chat Noir spotted tonight in Paris!" with a link to the _Ladyblog_.

Emilie chuckled. "Well, it's not like we didn't do that either," she remarked.

"He just saw her four hours ago," Gabriel grumbled, throwing aside the blankets and swinging his feet around. He stood and headed over to Duusu. "Sorry to wake you," he apologized, gently shaking the blue bird kwami out of her slumber. "I need you for a moment."

"Sure!" Duusu flew up, awake and ready to go. Gabriel wished he could bottle that enthusiasm for his mornings.

"Duusu, Quills Open."

One blue flash later, Paon withdrew his fan, spread it open, and pressed a button. A screen flickered into existence. It rang a couple of times before Chat Noir answered, his black-masked face filling the screen.

"Why are you out so late?" were the first words out of Paon's mouth.

"Uh, how did you know I was out?" came the sheepish reply.

He debated saying something to the effect of "parents know everything about their children," but thought better of it considering his son masqueraded as his nemesis for two years and he was none the wiser. "It's on the _Ladyblog_ ," he answered truthfully. "And if you're not home in ten minutes, you and Marinette are both grounded."

"How are you going to ground Marinette?" Chat asked.

"Do you really want to know?" Paon retorted.

"No, that's okay!" came Ladybug's cry in the background. "I'll be heading home now. Sorry to disturb you."

Paon closed his fan with a sharp _snap_ , effectively ending the conversation. He dropped his transformation, handed a sesame cracker to Duusu for her troubles (all of the bread was wrapped up downstairs) and crawled back into bed.

"Don't you think you were a bit harsh?" Emilie asked as he snuggled back in beside her.

Gabriel smiled. "We're the adults here," he chided.

"So does that mean you want to go on your own midnight run?" she teased.

He propped himself up on his elbows, suddenly invigorated. "Are you up for it?"

"For a short time. I'm awake now. Maybe the night air will get me sleepy again."

And so, about the time Chat Noir slipped into his bedroom, two other figures shot out of the mansion, heading on their own adventure around the city.


	9. Friends to Lovers

_Day 9 – Friends to Lovers_

The two newly rediscovered superheroes flew through Paris. Neither one of them cared to be photographed by random fans, so they stuck close to the shadows and dark recesses of the city. After a while, Paon settled down upon the top of an abandoned barge on the Seine. Papillon lightly descended beside him, and the two huddled near the shadows, feet dangling off the edge of the roof as they watched the lights of the city twinkle off the water.

"So," Papillon began, breaking the silence. She unscrewed the top of the thermos she had strapped to her waist and sipped at the ever present tea inside. "How long do you think it'll take Chat Noir and Ladybug to officially get together?"

Her husband smiled. "I've watched them tiptoe around each other the last two years. They're not going to just miraculously fight off all that awkwardness."

"So... a month?"

"Ha!" Paon snorted. "Not unless we have something to do about it."

"Oh? What did you have in mind?"

Paon turned to her. "What makes you think I have anything planned?"

Papillon shrugged. "Gut feeling. You know, woman's intuition."

"Uh huh." The skeptical look remained.

"Well, do you? If not, I'm sure I could always come up with a few things."

Paon grinned. "So far, my plans haven't exactly fared well in the presence of those two. I'm really not the best person to ask."

"Fine, leave it to me."

"Dare I ask what _you_ have planned?"

She giggled. "Oh, darling, I have so many ideas."

"Care to share?"

"Mmm not here."

He nodded. "I understand."

They spent the next several minutes in comfortable silence, with Papillon drinking her tea and Paon sitting beside her, serene and relaxed.

"Do you remember the game we used to play?" Papillon asked, breaking the silence with her soft question.

Paon's lips quirked. "The one where I used to sketch areas of the city from a certain perspective and you had to find me?"

She giggled. "You would give me the next clue whenever I found you. I spent all day in class wondering where those places were, you know."

Paon looped one hand around her shoulders. "I sometimes spent all day in class sketching those."

"You had a good memory to get the details so accurate."

He chuckled. "I had a good camera," he corrected. "I would take a few shots of different places and develop them, then sketch from the pictures." He turned to her and tapped her nose. "You were so clever, I always had to keep one step ahead of you."

She sighed and turned away. "Let's play that again," she said after a minute of silence.

"Of course," he instantly agreed. "When you're feeling stronger, naturally." His eyes twinkled with mischief. "I wouldn't want to be sitting there all day because you got tired. I wouldn't know if that was a legitimate excuse or if I was just good enough to evade you."

"Or maybe your sketches were too horrible for me to identify anything in there."

He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "Best to wait til you're at 100% again, just to be certain."

They drifted off into silence once more, with Papillon leaning against Paon. The gentle sound of the waves lapping against the hull of the houseboat coupled with the slight rocking lulled them both to sleep. It was only when the dark sky began to lighten did Paon rouse from his slumber.

"Darling," he murmured, brushing his hand through her hair. An incomprehensible mumble answered him. He chuckled. "I could carry you home if you want."

That caught her attention. Her eyes flew open. "Where... what?"

"We both fell asleep on the boat," Paon explained. "And from what the skies are telling me, dawn is about to break. I would rather us get back home before someone sees us in the light."

Papillon yawned. "Okay, I think I can manage."

Paon stood and offered his hand to his wife. Together, they both bounded away from the houseboat and back toward the mansion as the first rays of sunlight broke through the horizon. They landed in their room and dropped their transformations. Emilie headed straight for bed to curl back up, as not even the sharp morning wind across her face could wipe away the sleepiness still there. Gabriel spent a moment ensuring the comfort of their kwamis before sliding in beside her. Soon enough, both were sleeping soundly for a couple more hours.


	10. I dare you

_Day 10 - "I dare you"_

The very next day, Gabriel began with a simple plan.

He intercepted Marinette as she was going up to Adrien's room.

"Adrien has a photoshoot tomorrow that unfortunately was scheduled well before all of these events unfolded," he said to her. "Would you care to accompany us? I know you have an interest in fashion and I thought you might want to see a bit of the process."

Her thinly veiled squeal of excitement told him her answer well enough.

He returned to his room to finish up some last-minute changes. "Step one is complete," he informed his wife.

"Getting a fledgling designer to agree to an invitation to a fashion-related event? That's about as easy as taking jewelry from teenagers. Well, for most people at least."

Gabriel glared at her.

She laughed. "All I'm saying is don't relax just yet, dear. This was quite literally the easiest step."

"Don't be such a naysayer. Marinette is clearly head-over-heels for Adrien. And he's a smitten kitten as well. What could go wrong?"

The answer, it turns out, was quite a lot could go wrong. Much like his seemingly "simple" plans to grab the Miraculouses that ended in miserable failure, so did his first attempt at matchmaking. It started out as a success. Marinette absorbed almost every facet of the photoshoot with a sponge-like voracity for knowledge. Gabriel kept a close eye on her while he coordinated outfits with his other designers. She seemed hesitant to interrupt people to ask questions, so after several more times of her starting to ask something and then closing her mouth and sitting back, he walked over to her.

"If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I want you to learn as well."

"Oh! I don't want to get in the way."

He sighed. "Well you could always ask me personally then. Or Adrien. He's just as familiar with the process as I am, and most of the time the models wait around until there's something to do."

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Agreste."

Though he really wanted her to ask questions and under normal circumstances he would happily explain to her every intricate detail of everything, _this_ time, he had an ulterior motive. So, each time she looked uncertain about something, he made sure to start an involved discussion with another designer or set hand about some inane detail. And inevitably, despite his assurance that she could interrupt him, she obviously still refused to do so when he was preoccupied. Eventually, she drifted over to Adrien.

He immediately stopped his conversation with his designer, his eyes watching as she and his son interacted. He held his breath.

"Ah, is something wrong with Adrien, sir?" his designer asked.

"Hmm? Oh, no, nothing's wrong, Ana. Everything looks okay here," he said.

"Uh, okay, Mr. Agreste," Ana replied, though her eyes trailed back over to Adrien and then back to him again. A small smile appeared on her face. "Ah, if that's all, sir, I really need to get to fixing those details we've discussed."

"Yes, yes," he waved his hand. "See to it, Ana."

She hurried away, and he thought that was the end of it.

Until one of the other designers called Marinette over. She complied, eager to see new aspects of the designing team. Gabriel frowned. While he did want Marinette to learn as much as she could, there would be plenty of time for that later.

"Excuse me," a voice cut through the noise and reached Gabriel's ears. He turned to the voice and spotted Ana heading over to where Marinette was. "Sorry, but I need to borrow Marinette for a bit."

The other designer waved her away with a nod and Marinette trailed after Ana. What was she doing?

"Sorry to pull you away, but Adrien's wardrobe selection is rather finicky today," Ana explained, and Gabriel heard every word as they passed by. And... did Ana _wink_ at him? Adrien's wardrobe wasn't the least bit finicky! Everything fit Adrien like a glove and-

Oooh. Did he actually have a co-conspirator in this whole thing?

"If you don't mind, I think I might need you the entire shoot, just to make sure Adrien's things don't get ruined." Just in case, Ana glanced at him for approval. He nodded once and she smiled, turning back to Marinette, lowering her voice so Adrien couldn't hear. "Adrien tends to fidget a lot and I've had to repair popped buttons and torn seams more than once. An extra hand would be divine."

"Wow, really? You need my help? That's amazing!"

She followed Ana as the senior designer paired her up with Adrien, having her undertake menial tasks while also keeping the younger designer in contact with his son.

And so the day progressed, as Adrien and the other models moved in and out of their shoots, changing out of clothes and posing against different backdrops. Gabriel was pleased how much progress they were making, both in terms of the work and how effortlessly Marinette and Adrien molded together as a team.

It was during a small break that a snag began.

"Go on, I dare you."

Gabriel turned with a small frown, recognizing the voice belonging to another one of the male models. A blond like Adrien, he was standing with a few others. Something in his tone bothered Gabriel. He didn't need goofing off on set. That led to rips and tears and spills and stains and _delays_. He needed these pictures done today.

"What? No way," another replied, a tall, lanky, dark-haired teen with the physique of a long-distance runner. _Fiacre Baptiste_ , Gabriel thought, the name coming to his mind instantly. He's been in several spreads and knew his way around the runway. Reliable and dependable. "She's clearly head-over-heels for Adrien."

"Pfft," the first teen scoffed, waving a hand, and Gabriel temporary blanked on his name. "You know how all these girls are. They just like the eye candy models give them."

"Uh huh." The disbelief was evident in Fiacre's voice as he folded his arms and slouched his posture. "Somehow I don't think so. She's way more into the clothes than she is into the models. She didn't even spare you a second glance when you walked by her earlier."

"Only because Adrien was giving her attention then. She's the new girl; she's going to be into every model who gives her a second glance. I'd like to give her a lot of second glances, if you catch my drift. Read her like a blind man reads one of those big books." He waggled his eyebrows. "I bet I'll get a piece of that long before you guys can even get a finger on her. She'd be way too easy."

"If you're so interested in her, Jourdain, why don't you go up and talk to her instead of pushing the rest of us into it?" a third chimed in. "You keep talking about how you can always have your pick of any girl in the room, so prove it."

"Fine. I don't like sharing, though, especially with those Asian girls. Don't come whining to me when you hear her moaning my name in the dressing rooms later. You had your chance." Jourdain sauntered away from the boys, the rest of whom shook their heads in disgust at their fellow model.

Gabriel frowned. He was aware of the _ahem_ extracurricular activities of many of the models (and sheltered Adrien from all of that!) but to hear it being brazenly bandied about in front of him in an unprofessional manner bothered him more than he cared to admit. Perhaps he was just being prudish in his old age. Still, his eyes trailed after the flaxen-haired model as he approached Marinette. Adrien was off changing into another outfit and the girl leaned against a wall, sketching something in her notebook and completely oblivious to her surroundings.

Here, he almost stepped forward to intercept.

Except, well it wasn't really his battle to fight. Marinette was perfectly capable of handling herself and she had every right to date other men if she so wanted. Maybe seeing her with another boy would ignite the fires inside his own son and get him to make his own move.

Marinette giggled at something Jourdain said and the man's hand casually moved to rest upon her arm. He beamed a million-euro smile at her, one that sold magazines and ad space and certainly was harmless enough to invite a friendly chat with a pretty girl.

Still, there was something about the discussion that didn't sit right with him. Something in the undercurrent of that conversation made his stomach churn. Was he just worried about the safety of his son's not-girlfriend? He almost laughed, for two weeks prior he nearly killed her (by proxy, of course) during an akuma attack. Now he was worried?

"Mr. Agreste, I need your final approval on these last few items." One of the techs came over with a few things pulled up on his tablet and Gabriel tore his eyes away from where Marinette and Jourdain were talking to approve of the changes. When he turned back, the two had vanished.

Instantly, an icy cold hand clenched his stomach. He knew that was stupid. The set was well guarded from outsiders and Jourdain was a model and they were most likely somewhere fixing something on the clothes and Marinette tagged along because she wanted to learn more about the business.

So why did that explanation feel hollow? And wrong? He stepped over to where he had last seen the two.

"Ana?" he called to the lead designer. The petite woman looked up from her work and headed over to him. "Have you seen Marinette anywhere?"

The immediate frown of concentration answered his question. "No, sorry, Mr. Agreste. She was standing right here while Adrien went to change into his formal wear. Maybe one of the other designers grabbed her for assistance?"

"And Jourdain, the model for the shoot on set 4?"

Again, another frown of concentration as she thought on that answer. "I really can't say. I haven't worked with him at all today. I've been mostly over on sets 8 and 9 with Adrien."

He knew that, of course.

So where was Marinette? And Jourdain?

And why did his stomach continue to churn with unease?

A sudden commotion from one of the hallways drew everyone's attention. Marinette stalked out, her face beet red and her eyes flashing with fury. She gripped one hand over her forearm as she stomped away, her lips pressed into a thin white line.

Behind her trailed Jourdain, one hand clutched to his cheek. Spotting all of the people staring at them, he immediately began to screech. "She hit me! That stupid little whore slapped me! I can't model like this now! You've ruined the entire day! I'll have you blacklisted for this. You'll never work in this business again!"

Marinette stopped in her tracks and whirled around, a snarl on her lips. "Excuse me?"

Gabriel had started moving toward the two the instant he spotted Marinette. Ana followed right at his heels. "What is going on here?" he demanded, relief at finding Marinette safe causing his words to come out harsher than usual, even for him.

The girl in question paled, instantly losing all of her righteous anger in his formidable presence.

"She slapped me!" Jourdain wailed, dropping his hand and exposing the reddened cheek to Gabriel.

He raised an eyebrow. "For no reason at all?"

"We were just talking," Jourdain insisted. "And she had the nerve to slap me! I can't model like this! She should be fired immediately."

"That's not true!" Marinette practically shouted. "I told him I wasn't interested in him and his _advances_ and he wouldn't take no for an answer. I turned to walk away and he grabbed my arm. So _that's_ when I slapped him."

"She admits it!"

Gabriel fixed his stern gaze upon Jourdain. "Did you grab Miss Marinette's arm?"

"We were getting into the heat of the moment," he said. "You know how it is."

The elder designer turned to Marinette as she let out a protest of denial at Jourdain's excuse. "May I see your arm?" he asked, holding out his palm. She reluctantly dropped the hand covering her forearm and Gabriel spotted a large bruise marring the skin. His expression darkened. "That's quite an injury," he stated, turning back to the blond.

"I barely touched her; she bruises easily."

He might have believed the model – after all, some people _do_ bruise exceptionally easy. But he had also seen Marinette trip over random spots of tile in his home, smash face-first into door frames, and bang into more banisters and end-tables than he knew even existed in a room without a single bruise as testament to her clumsiness.

"You are correct, you cannot model like this anymore today," he began, and Marinette began to tremble. He placed one hand upon her shoulder to calm her. "Nathalie," he said to his assistant, hovering close to him, "call security. Mr. Jourdain, if you attempt to proposition a woman, you need to learn to take rejection like a man. As you insist on sulking about and throwing a tantrum like a child, I must ask you to leave. My team will summon you when we need the children's photographs done."

Jourdain paled as he realized he was effectively being dismissed. "There must be some mistake," he began.

"There most certainly was," Gabriel cut in, his voice rising in anger. "And it was the moment you elected to prey upon my guest. If anyone _else_ wishes to act like a child on this set," and here Gabriel allowed his gaze to drift over to the other male models, all of whom blanched at being caught, "then they may follow you out the door. For the rest of you," he snapped, "get back to work!"

The gawkers scattered immediately, hustling to their stations to make up for lost time. A guard came over and escorted Jourdain out of the room. Gabriel looked down at Marinette, his hand still resting upon her shoulder.

"I apologize for the actions of my models," he said to her, his voice instantly quieter and softer. "I'm afraid they made a very poor impression of a typical day at work here. Would you like our on-set doctor to examine your arm?"

She shook her head. "No, thank you, I'll be okay."

He nodded and turned to his designer. "Ana, please ensure Miss Marinette remains by your side for the rest of the day."

"Certainly, Mr. Agreste."

He squeezed Marinette's shoulder once, offering a tiny smile. "I promise not all models are pigs like Jourdain. Stick close to Ana. She knows what she's doing, okay?"

Marinette nodded up at him, eyes wide and a bit of color returning to her cheeks. He let his hand drop and Ana draped one arm around her shoulders and guided her away. She would probably mother hen Marinette the rest of the day. That was fine with him. He didn't want to have to worry about anybody else preying upon the teenager.

Adrien appeared from the dressing room, blissfully ignorant of the drama that just unfolded. "Hey Marinette," he said with a smile, striking a nonchalant pose. "How do I look?"

And the blush that covered her cheeks erased away the remaining worry from her face.

It still wasn't enough to erase the experience from her mind, however, and even in the ride home, she remained quiet and withdrawn. Upon arriving back at the manor, he briefly pulled her aside.

"It wasn't your fault," he told her, "and I'm proud that you stood up for yourself."

"Really?"

He nodded. "Don't ever let anyone take advantage of you."

"I ruined your photoshoot."

"No," he insisted, placing one hand upon her shoulder again and guiding her over to his desk, where he pulled up the pictures from that day on his computer. "The rest of the models were respectful, diligent, and hard-working, and their pictures turned out amazing in a short amount of time." He showed her the pictures. His lips quirked into a grin. "I suppose you could say they were definite _role models_ for the rest of us."

It worked. She snorted at his bad pun, but her lips turned up the tiniest bit.

He guided her back out to the door. "Now, I bet Adrien will want to know all about your experiences today."

"Uh, if it's all right with you, I think I'd like to go home. I'm pretty tired."

"Oh, uh, certainly. Adrien will understand."

"Thank you, Mr. Agreste." She met his eyes with a smile. "I really did enjoy today. Thank you for the opportunity. It was amazing."

"You're welcome, Marinette."

And after she had left with his bodyguard to drive her home (and bidding farewell to Adrien beforehand), he climbed upstairs and collapsed next to Emilie, burying his head into the pillow as she sat propped up next to him, reading something on her tablet. Nooroo, perched on the edge of the bed, flew up at the disturbance when Gabriel flopped down.

Duusu popped out before he landed and the two kwamis flew to their own beds, chattering among themselves in soft voices.

"It didn't work, I take it?" she asked.

"Stupid horny boys," he mumbled.

"Certainly not Adrien!" she gasped.

He twisted his head to look at her. "No. It was all the _other_ models vying for her affections."

Emilie giggled. "Well, there's always next time."

He turned and buried his head back into the pillow, mumbling something incoherent.

"Cheer up, dear. I have the best idea for tomorrow. I bet it'll even end in a kiss!"

Gabriel lifted his head. "Oh? Now you've got me interested."

* * *

 _ **Author's Note** : It took a while to get everything figured out, but I really liked writing this chapter. I love overprotective Gabriel and feisty Marinette standing up for herself. I also really want to see Gabriel use his evil superpowers of intimidation and dickwadery for good (I can't wait to see him put Chloe's mother in her place!). While Gabriel may not be Hawkmoth anymore, he still is a very imposing and intimidating person, and I wanted to use that to our heroes' advantage in this chapter._


	11. First Kiss

_Day 11 – First Kiss_

The next evening, Adrien invited Marinette over for dinner. He said his parents had planned to eat dinner together and he didn't want to eat alone. She had offered for him to go over to her bakery and eat with her family, but Emilie stepped in and explained that sorry, Adrien had lessons in the manor prior to dinner, so it would be quite late if he were to start heading over to the bakery afterward.

But Marinette was more than welcome to come over and join him after his lessons finished.

Emilie then seized the opportunity for a little matchmaking of her own.

"It's going to be perfect!" she cooed to her husband, running around setting up the candles and tea lights. She draped a white linen tablecloth over the dining room table. She set up two parallel rows of the tiny candles in the middle. Gabriel watched from the doorway with his arms folded, the skepticism clear in his expression as he studied the setup.

"Uh, I'm not sure this is going to work," he commented, his voice heavy with doubt. "It's a bit too... intimate for their relationship right now."

"Nonsense," she chastised, scattering handfuls of rose petals on the tablecloth. She breathed deep, inhaling the faint aroma of the vanilla candles and the roses. "Aren't you going to help me?"

He sighed, pushing himself away from the doorframe. He grabbed a few vases of roses and set them on the edges of the room, interspersed between tall thin candlesticks and shorter, fat candles. More tealights circled the vases, where the flickering candlelight would reflect and dance off of the jagged crystal. Blooming rose buds hung from the chair corners, twisted onto the corners. Red and white pillows adorned the chairs.

"I don't know," he said, eyeing the room décor. "I really think this might be too much. These two are still a bit skittish around each other. If you throw something this obvious in their faces, it'll just end in blushes and stammers."

"Hush up. You're going to jinx me."

He continued setting up the candles and flowers in silence.

They had just finished lighting the last candle when the doorbell buzzed and Nathalie let in Marinette. Adrien met her in the foyer. Emilie and Gabriel left the dining room just as they were going upstairs. Emilie feigned exhaustion. Gabriel stepped in and played his part expertly.

"I'm so sorry, dear," Emilie murmured to Gabriel.

"Think nothing of it," he replied, holding her steady by the shoulders as she wavered in place. "Upstairs to bed with you. I'll bring dinner to you tonight."

"That would be lovely, darling."

Emilie looked over to Adrien and Marinette with a tired, drawn smile. "I'm not feeling up for sitting around. You two are more than welcome to eat in the dining room. Don't mind the décor, okay?"

Marinette and Adrien looked to each other. Adrien shrugged. "We can play some games afterward," he suggested.

"Okay," his partner agreed. They headed to the dining room. Emilie visibly perked up, eagerly awaiting their reaction once they passed her.

Adrien pushed open the doors.

Both children stopped cold.

The blood drained from Marinette's face.

Adrien's eyes widened. He quickly turned to Marinette. "Uh, I didn't know it looked like this," he insisted.

Marinette began to tremble, her hands rising to cover her mouth. "I'm sorry," she whispered at last. "I... I don't think I can eat dinner with you tonight." She turned to Adrien, but didn't meet his eyes. "It's... it's not you, it's me. Really. I'm sorry. I just... I just can't. I'm so sorry."

And with that, she turned and bolted from the house.

Leaving two confused adults and one sad teen behind.

"Uh, Adrien?" Emilie ventured.

"Ah." Adrien whirled around, forgetting his parents on the foot of the staircase. "Sorry about that," he said, waving his hand to the vacant spot Marinette had stood seconds earlier. "I uh, well I did something like this a while back. I set up this whole scene for her. Back before we knew who each other were, of course. It ah, well, it looked actually almost identical to this right here. It... didn't end well that night."

It was as if a bucket of cold water splashed over Emilie. "Oh, Adrien, I'm so sorry, I didn't know."

"Nah, it's okay, Mom. It's a little bit of both of our faults. She feels guilty, I feel guilty... We've talked about it since, but I guess seeing this table exactly how I set up the balcony that night was just a bit too much for her."

"Guilt can eat a person up from the inside," Gabriel spoke up. "Give her a night, then reach out to her in the morning."

Adrien nodded. "Thank you, Father."

And with that, Adrien trudged back to his room, his head hung low with heartache.

Emilie's yearned to reach for him, but held back. This wasn't something she could heal with her mother's love, no matter how much she wished she could. The sound of his door shutting broke her more than she cared to admit.

"They'll work things out," Gabriel murmured in her ear, reading her mind. "They just need some time to sort through the stumbling blocks."

"But we caused this one," Emilie lamented, leaning into her husband.

She felt his shrug against her back. "From the sounds of things, I think something like this would have come up eventually. We may have pushed them to face it sooner, but sooner is always better than later." He kissed her head. "Don't fret, dear. I have an idea on how to start out small."

"Oh?"

"I'll tell you over dinner." He led her back to the dining room. "We can't let all of our hard work go to waste, now can we?"

* * *

A couple of days later, Gabriel stood in the kitchen with a giant bowl of popcorn, freshly popped. Emilie sat nearby, nibbling on some of the vegetables and fruits he had prepared for the kids.

"Marinette is set to arrive here soon," Gabriel explained, adding a touch of salt to the bowl and tossing the hot kernels around. Beside him, Duusu slept in another bowl of popcorn.

The kwami had gotten so delighted at her wielder making popcorn that she _dove_ into the first batch of freshly popped corn, scattering the fluffy kernels high into the air like a popcorn volcano. She chirped in excitement as she began to eat her way through the snack. Nooroo, on the other hand, was content to eat some of the chocolate covered raspberries on the tray.

Gabriel had just sighed, bent down to retrieve another bowl, and turned the stove back on to pop another batch. Duusu burrowed herself in the middle of the popcorn and curled up to sleep, occasionally letting out content chirps as she snoozed.

"What movie are they going to watch?" Emilie asked, scooping out a handful from around the sleeping Duusu. The kwami turned over on her side. A couple of bits of the airy snack clung to her magical feathers.

He shrugged. "Adrien has quite the selection. But no matter what they pick, watching a movie together will no doubt end in a kiss. Alone in a quiet room together. It's the experience of a darkened movie theater without other people to ruin it."

She giggled at that. "I rather enjoyed watching movies in the theater with you," she said, trailing one finger along his arm. A slow smile spread across his face.

"Well, maybe we can have our own movie date while they have theirs," he said.

"With more popcorn?"

He looked at the two bowls in front of him. "Er, we might have to be content with the leftover fruit platter."

"That's fine with me!" Nooroo exclaimed, snatching up another candied treat – a sugar coated orange slice this time.

The buzzer sounded and Gabriel's head shot up. "That's them!" He grabbed the bowl of popcorn, smoothed back the hair that had gotten ruffled from Duusu and headed out to meet the two.

Adrien walked in through the door, followed by... Nino?

Even his incredible skills at indifference couldn't mask the shock at seeing the headphone wearing boy enter behind his son.

"Where's Marinette?" he blurted out, unable to help himself.

"Marinette?" Adrien repeated. "Oh, she had to stay behind today to make up a test she missed last week due to the akuma attack." His son leveled a very pointed look at him.

Oh. Well, crap. Still, he had to say _something._

"Very well. Do enjoy the movie, then. Mr. Lahiffe, please try not to spill too much popcorn." He thrust the bowl at Adrien.

"You got it, du- I mean, sir!"

Gabriel pivoted on his heels and stalked back into the kitchen. He plopped onto the barstool beside his wife and slammed his forehead down on the counter. The noise woke Duusu, who shot out of the bowl with a startled squawk. More popcorn rained down on them.

Emilie chuckled as she rubbed one hand across her husband's back in soothing circles. "You have only yourself to blame for this one, dear."

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:** Perdita drew a picture of Duusu sleeping in the popcorn bowl. It's viewable on her tumblr page or this chapter on AO3._


	12. It was an accident

_Day 12 - "It was an accident"_

"It was nice of your father to get tickets for us," Marinette said as she walked around the exhibit with Adrien.

"Yeah, he gets offers a lot of times through his company, but hasn't taken any lately because he's so busy. He used to go a lot with Mom since she loved the history behind all of this stuff. At least, right up until she disappeared."

Marinette smiled at Adrien as he trailed off. "I'm sure once she gets better, she'll want to go again. Here, let's be sure to take lots of pictures to show her when we get back!"

He perked up and smiled back at her. "Okay."

Mr. Agreste had given them both tickets to the latest exhibit at the Musée d'Orsay. They spent the early part of the morning wandering through the displays and admiring the art.

Everything was going wonderfully. Marinette contained her excitement at spending an entire day with Adrien (her heart still thumped wildly when she thought about Adrien). She was almost certain Mr. and Mrs. Agreste kept pushing them into odd situations. She quickly discouraged that line of thinking, since Mr. Agreste was so devoted to Mrs. Agreste's recovery that it didn't seem like he would have any time for additional plotting. It had to have been a coincidence that things happened to line up favorably for them, right?

Adrien bought them each a mid-morning snack of strawberries with cream and a light refreshing blend of juices. They sat on a bench finishing their food when they heard a scream.

"Eek! A mouse!"

Adrien and Marinette both turned to the commotion.

"That's odd," Adrien said. "Mice usually don't appear unless there's food or something nearby."

"A flying mouse!"

The two teenagers looked at each other. Marinette checked her purse, discovering Tikki peering up at her with worried eyes. Adrien opened his shirt, finding it empty.

"Plagg," Adrien growled.

Both kids jumped to their feet, their empty containers forgotten as they hurried over to the screeching voice. They pushed through the quickly forming crowd.

"Really, madam, a flying mouse?" One man was questioning the screaming lady.

"It was, I swear! Right over there!" She pointed a trembling finger to a table filled with clocks. All eyes followed her finger. "Well, it's obviously not there anymore," she huffed.

Adrien pulled Marinette away from the crowd. "We need to find him fast before the guards come."

"Where would he be? And why did he leave?"

"I'll have to ask him about that _after_ we get him safely back," Adrien grumbled.

They hurried away, pushing through the crowd of onlookers.

"Plagg!" Adrien hissed as they bent close to some of the exhibits. Thankfully, most people were more concerned with the hysterical woman's cries than the frantic whispers of a teenager.

A black head poked out from behind a rope barrier. Adrien spotted him and rushed over, clamping his hands down upon his kwami. He stuffed Plagg into his shirt pocket and grabbed Marinette's hand, making a beeline for the exit. Once outside and around the corner, he opened up his pocket. Plagg flew out.

"What did you do?" Adrien demanded, folding his arms in anger.

"It was an accident!" Plagg wailed. "I thought it was cheese!"

"You thought _what_ was cheese?"

"The clocks! The round one looked just like camembert!"

Marinette snorted a laugh, covering her mouth with her hand. "It was a clock, Plagg, how could you mistake it for cheese?"

"I'm _starving_ ," the cat kwami explained in the most pitiful voice she had ever heard. "I didn't get to eat anything before leaving."

"I gave you a whole wheel of camembert at breakfast," Adrien pointed out.

"One wheel isn't enough to stave off the beginnings of hunger pains," Plagg moaned.

"Well now you get nothing." Adrien grabbed Marinette's hand and started down the sidewalk.

* * *

When the door opened a little bit later, both Emilie and Gabriel looked up from their movie in surprise.

"They're home early," Emilie remarked as Gabriel paused the film.

Both went down to find Adrien glowering at Plagg. "I said no cheese. And if you don't watch yourself, I won't give you any until tomorrow morning. And it'll be cheap stuff, too."

"But Adrien," Plagg drawled out.

"No!"

"What happened?" Emilie asked.

Marinette glanced up at them and sighed. "Plagg decided to eat one of the exhibit clocks on display."

"It was an accident!" the kwami wailed again.

Both adults exchanged a confused glance. "Dare I ask?" Gabriel remarked.

"He thought it was cheese," Marinette explained.

Gabriel pursed his lips for a moment before shaking his head. "Okay, nope. That didn't help at all."

"It was round and golden. How was I to know it was really a clock instead of a delicious wheel of camembert?"

"Maybe if you weren't a greedy glutton you wouldn't eat everything in sight that remotely resembles cheese," Adrien snapped.

Marinette looked between the kwami and angry holder. "I think I'll just head home now," she said. "Thank you for the tickets, Mr. Agreste."

She slipped out the door. Adrien stomped over to his room and slammed the door shut behind him.

Gabriel and Emilie looked to Plagg.

"Really, Plagg? I thought you were on our side," Gabriel chastised with an exasperated sigh. "We're _trying_ to get them together."

"I know," Plagg remarked, flying over to Gabriel. "Marinette was too absorbed in the artwork. It was painful watching them. Two 'friends'," he scoffed, motioning his paws into the little air quotes. "I was trying to get them to leave so they could eat lunch in the park and talk about the exhibit. As it was, they might as well have attended separately for all the good it did getting them together."

Emilie arched an eyebrow. "So you didn't mistake the clock for cheese?"

"Puh-lease," Plagg rolled his eyes. "Give me a little bit of credit. I'm trying to get these two idiots together just as much as you are. But that art exhibit was not working out. If you don't believe me, ask Tikki the next time she's over."

Emilie sighed and held out a hand to the black kwami. "Okay, Plagg, I believe you. Let's get you upstairs. You can spend some time with Nooroo and Duusu. It'll give Adrien a chance to cool off."

"Ugh, why would I want to spend time with them?" Plagg complained, but he floated over to Emilie and sank into her palm. His ears twitched. "Do you have any camembert though? Adrien threatened to cut me off for a week."

"I'll get you a wheel from the kitchen," Gabriel said, moving into the other room. "I need to replenish Duusu's snacks as well."

Emilie giggled. "We should just install a mini-fridge in the bedroom."

"Don't encourage them," Gabriel shot over his shoulder before he disappeared.

Plagg watched him go. "I don't know why that would encourage me. You guys are the ones who have to keep walking up and down those stairs."

Emilie sighed and headed back up. "I know. We'll work on him together, okay?"

" _After_ we get those oblivious lovebirds together," Plagg added.

She giggled. "Deal."


	13. Finally Alone

_Day 13 – Finally Alone_

"Finally," Adrien said, closing the door to his room. "We can have some peace and quiet."

Marinette giggled. "You parents are endearing."

"That's not something I ever thought I would hear someone say," Adrien remarked.

"I'm serious," Marinette said. "Your father has changed so much in the last couple of weeks."

"Mom always brought out the best in him," Adrien said. "I guess he really changed the most when she disappeared. He's more like his old self. Well," he thought on that for a second, "I suppose he is a bit more relaxed now."

"Remind me never to get them to meet my parents," Marinette said. "I have a feeling they would find new ways to embarrass us."

Adrien plopped down on his couch and Marinette joined him. "Well, I have plenty of embarrassing stuff I could use against Father, especially all of the things he did as Hawkmoth." Adrien grinned. "Can you believe he calls himself a fashion designer after some of those disasters?"

Marinette stifled a giggle with her hand. "We can't exactly use that against him around my parents, though."

Adrien hopped up and headed to his desk, rummaging around in the drawers for a few seconds before emerging with a notebook and pencil. "No, but we can certainly use it when it's just us. Let's get planning."

"Here?"

"Where else?"

A mischievous smile appeared. "Don't you know?" she said in a teasing lilt. "All nefarious schemes have to be done in a secluded hideout. Just ask your father."

He looked around his room. "I'm not sure either of my parents would approve of us leaving the house without their permission."

"Then we'll just have to make due with what we have here."

Marinette grabbed the cushions off the couch and threw them on the floor. She snagged the pillows off Adrien's bed and pulled the blankets over to the middle of the room.

"What are you doing?" He sat on his chair with his arms folded, amused.

"Building a fort." She looked to him. "Are you going to help me build our evil lair?"

His lips curled into a grin as he shot to his feet. "Absolutely."

They spent several minutes arranging the cushions and pillows around and draping blankets over.

"Hmm," Marinette mused, tapping her lip with one finger. "We need more blankets," she declared.

"I think there are some in one of the guest rooms upstairs. We'll have to be sneaky, though, cuz I think my parents are in Father's office."

"We can't let them discover our evil plans," Marinette agreed.

Stifling giggles, they crept out of the room and Adrien led the way up the stairs, crouching low and stepping deliberately on the balls of his feet to muffle the sound. Marinette mimed his actions. Together, they crept around the outer balcony of the foyer and slipped into one of the rooms. Giggling, Adrien opened up a closet.

"Ta-da!" he proclaimed with the flourish of a game-show model unveiling a prize. Marinette laughed and grabbed an armful of blankets. Adrien snagged some more pillows and together, they began their equally as secretive retreat back to his room.

Fifteen minutes later, the extra blankets and pillows had been arranged masterfully and the two teenagers huddled inside, stretched out on their stomachs. Their bodies pressed together in the cramped space. The notebook was open in front of them, and Adrien tapped the pencil against the paper.

"I understand the concept of a trend is to get everyone to wear the same thing," Marinette said, "but was a hot pink tutu dress _really_ the trend your father wanted to set?"

Adrien burst out into giggles and wrote _Reflecta_ in the notebook, along with Marinette's observations.

"Oh! How about Mr. 'Look into the lens'?" Adrien exclaimed.

Marinette laughed aloud. "I'll never unhear that voice!" she crowed, rolling on her side as Adrien wrote _Pixelator_ down.

"Me neither. I kept getting trapped in that stupid world," Adrien muttered.

"I wonder if you could get your photographer to say that every time your father shows up for a photoshoot from now on," Marinette mused.

The wicked grin on his face told her he was definitely going to try.

"We should have probably figured that Hawkmoth was someone who was a teenager in the 90s," Adrien pointed out. "Gamer and Kung Food both had an insane amount of 90s references."

"Your father is as big of a nerd as you are."

"Hey!"

"That's a compliment."

"Sure it is."

Marinette giggled as Adrien pouted. The close proximity to him was starting to make her light-headed. Or maybe it was the stifling heat wrapped up in the blankets.

Adrien's face was certainly flushed as well, the red illuminating the green of his eyes. Her breath caught in her throat. He stared at her.

She didn't know if he moved first or if it was her, but the gap between them closed. He hesitated, his lips millimeters from hers. "May I...?"

"Yes," she breathed.

 _Achoo!_

Adrien pushed away and sneezed. "Sorry, Marinette," he apologized.

"It's okay," she assured him, though disappointment welled up as the moment between them shattered.

He sneezed again.

"I'm sorry," he said, rubbing his nose. "I don't know what's gotten into me."

"You're sneezing like you did around Mr. Pigeon," she said.

"But there aren't any feathers here," he protested before letting out another sneeze.

Marinette's eyes widened in horror. "The comforter," she exclaimed, ripping the thick blanket surrounding them off the top of the cushions. She squeezed it, confirming her worst fears. "It's filled with down!"

Adrien's face scrunched up. "Uh oh," he said.

In the light, she could see angry red blotches marring his skin. "We need to go get your parents," Marinette said.

"Ugh," Adrien moaned as Marinette grabbed his hand and hauled him to his feet.

She pulled him out of the room, Adrien sneezing the entire time. She knocked on the door to Mr. Agreste's office, rapid and frantic. A few seconds later, he answered, looking at them in confusion. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Agreste," she said, wringing her hands in worry, "I didn't know there were feathers."

Mr. Agreste immediately shifted his gaze from her to Adrien, taking in his sneezing and red-splotched appearance. He frowned. "Emilie," he called over his shoulder, "do we have any of Adrien's allergy medicine down here?"

"There is some in the bedroom," she replied.

He nodded and hurried away, returning a short time later carrying some tablets and a glass of water. He handed them to Adrien, who gulped them down. Marinette still stood off to the side, nervous and anxious.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Agreste," she wailed, utterly distraught. "It's all my fault! Adrien won't be able to model because of his allergies and it's just like before with the feather hat and I'm so sorry I ruined everything!"

"Marinette, Adrien is going to be fine," Mr. Agreste told her, his firm voice calming her instantly. "But his medicine will make him sleepy."

She nodded, taking the hint. "I'll just head home, then," she said. "Though I should probably clean up his room first."

"I'll help," Adrien said.

"No!" Marinette cried. "You can't go back in there! You'll get even worse!"

"Marinette is probably right, Adrien," Mr. Agreste said. "Why don't you stay here with your mother and I'll go help clean up your room?"

Adrien nodded in acceptance. Marinette and Mr. Agreste headed to Adrien's room, where he raised an eyebrow at the appearance.

"What were you doing?" he asked, his expression bewildered as he took in the scattered cushions, pillows, and crumpled blankets.

She blushed. "Making a pillow fort," she mumbled.

He bent down and picked up the down comforter. "Were you wrapped up in this thing? In this weather?"

"It was our rooftop," she explained.

His lips twitched into a tiny smile. "I see."

She scooped up the cushions and packed them back down on his couch as Mr. Agreste folded the comforter and arranged the blankets on Adrien's bed. He held up a few extras.

"I'm not sure these went on Adrien's bed," he said.

"We got them from..." she trailed off and paled as she realized she would have to confess to snooping around his home, "one of the guest rooms," she ended in a mumble, ducking her head and waiting for him to lecture her.

"Oh, okay," was all he said, continuing to fold the blankets. She helped, and they both worked in silence until all the blankets were folded and Adrien's room was back to normal. They each grabbed a pile and headed to the guest room, where they stowed them securely back in the closet.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out after Mr. Agreste closed the door.

He looked at her in surprise. "For what?"

"Going through your house," she said, "and for getting Adrien sick."

He chuckled lightly. "You didn't do any harm. This is Adrien's home as well. He's not forbidden from coming in here. And he'll be good as new tomorrow. You won't believe how many blankets we've gone through because of his allergies."

She allowed a small smile to form. "Thanks, Mr. Agreste. I'll be heading home now."

"I'll tell Adrien you've left, though I'm sure he'll be texting you before too much longer," Mr. Agreste said.

Her smile grew as she thought on that. "Yeah," she murmured, then shook herself. "I mean, yes, you're probably right. See you later!"

He shook his head after her as she left the home, already taking out her phone to text Adrien as she walked through the park.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:** The English voice actor for Pixelator/Vincent Aza is one of my favorite voice actors ever, so I had to include that akuma as a nod to him :)_


	14. Take my hand

_Day 14 - "Take my hand"_

A few days after the disastrous blanket fort, Adrien invited Marinette on a cruise down the Seine as an apology for worrying her.

"I'm the one who should apologize," Marinette grumbled, her folded arms draped over the railing as she stared at the shoreline from the tiny boat.

"Nah, it was my stupidity that got me into trouble. I knew that's why I can't sleep with down comforters, and I still went ahead and built an entire fort out of them." Adrien leaned his back against the railing and looked at her.

"Still," she mumbled, "your parents must hate me."

"Pretty sure they adore you," Adrien replied.

"I almost killed their only son," she said, undeterred.

"So did my dad," Adrien answered.

Marinette turned to him. He smiled, showing his teeth. Then laughed at her chagrin. "It's fine, Marinette, really. They don't hate you. I don't hate you. It was an honest mistake."

She turned back around, staring unfocused at a point in the distance.

Adrien turned around and sidled up next to her. He nudged her with his shoulder. "If you really want to make it up to me," he began, drawing out his words, "then you could always buy me an ice cream from André's cart."

A small smile appeared on her face. "Okay," she agreed.

"Yes!" Adrien pumped his fist in the air. She giggled.

The rest of the cruise went smoothly. Adrien pointed out various monuments from the boat, and Marinette pointed out different monuments that had significance as their alter-ego forms, such as the spot where Captain Hardrock destroyed XY's stage during the music festival ("Remind me to thank Father for that one") and the firework barge where Ladybug threw Chat Noir into the water ("It wasn't _that_ funny, Marinette").

In fact, it was a blissful cruise down the river. Adrien and Marinette weren't the only passengers, but they were by far the youngest. They kept to themselves in the corner on the upper deck. A few other tourists and a couple of older people sat on the chairs or leaned off the railing, pointing out different sights.

It was when they went to depart the boat that their day turned sour. Adrien stepped off the boat and turned around to help Marinette when her infamous clumsiness kicked in.

He held out his hand for her to grab, beaming a warm smile at her.

She met his eyes. Red blossomed on her cheeks.

And as she reached over to steady herself on the rail, her hand slid off.

"Waugh!"

The last thing he heard as she stumbled and slid off the ramp.

 _Splash!_

"Marinette!" he cried, leaning over the rail. She bobbed to the surface, spluttering up water. Her hair hung in her eyes. She frantically swiped her bangs aside so she could see.

However, the current dragged her past the edge of the dock.

"Marinette!" he shouted. Without thinking, he hopped over the railing and onto the bank, running over the uneven ground to intercept her. She swam to the shore using short powerful strokes, but couldn't grab a handhold against the slick sides of the stone bank.

He poured on an extra burst of speed and darted past her, laying flat on his stomach.

"Take my hand!" he cried, stretching as far as he dared. She snagged his arm as she was swept past and he clung to her slippery hand with both of his. Gritting his teeth, he rolled on his side and hauled her up the bank. She collapsed against him; wet, shivering, and miserable. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded. "Thanks," she managed to gasp out over her heavy breathing. He helped her up, shrugging out of his outer shirt and draping it around her shoulders. He pressed her close to him as they walked back to the dock.

Where they were met with the frantic workers, one of whom was on the phone with the authorities. "Oh thank goodness, she's out!" he exclaimed in the phone.

Workers immediately swarmed around the two of them, bundling them both in blankets. Marinette flushed in embarrassment at the attention.

Adrien refused to release her hand.

* * *

Emilie and Gabriel were sitting in the atelier when the telltale sound of the door opening and closing caught their attention.

"At least they're not home early this time," Emilie joked. "Let's go see how they are."

"Hopefully together," Gabriel grumbled. Emilie laughed.

Both of the elder heroes stopped short at the sight that greeted them.

Marinette, soaking wet from head to toe and covered in a blanket. She stood huddled beside Adrien, but there was absolutely not a shred of romance in the action, with her bangs plastered to her forehead and a look of absolute misery upon her face. She shivered beneath the blanket.

Next to her, Adrien hugged her to him for warmth, his shirt damp from contact with Marinette.

"What happened?" Emilie asked, aghast.

"I fell into the Seine," Marinette mumbled, humiliated and pitiful.

"Are you okay?"

Marinette nodded. "I lost my balance." Nothing but anguished mortification from her.

"Adrien, take her upstairs to one of the guest rooms. Marinette, dear, go take a hot shower. I'm certain Gabriel has some prototype clothes laying around that he could quickly alter to your size."

"I don't want to be any trouble," she muttered, staring at the ground. Adrien's arm tightened around her.

"Don't be ridiculous, darling. Head on upstairs. I'll make some hot tea."

And as Adrien ushered her up the steps, she turned to discover her husband rubbing his forehead with a pained expression upon his face.

"Gabriel?"

He looked up at her. "How on earth did I keep failing to defeat those two?" he lamented, more baffled than anything.

"Gabriel!" she admonished, but couldn't help the short laugh that burst out either.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:** Sometimes, they are their own worst enemy. :)_


	15. Bubblebath

_Day 15 – Bubblebath_

The dim light of the candles flickered against the tile. The vanilla scent combined with the lavender of the bubbles and Emilie sighed in utter bliss, sinking low into the tub. The bubbles crawled up her neck. She bundled her hair up into a messy knot on the top of her head, and rested it back on a folded towel. The hot water relaxed her. The soft light and fragrant scents lulled her into a dull sense of awareness. Some ambient music echoed faintly in the bathroom, emanating from the speakers of her portable player that hooked into her phone. Nooroo slept on a floating loofah beside her.

"Hey Emilie," a voice interrupted her rest. She cracked one eye open.

"Oh, hello Duusu," she greeted.

"Whatcha doin'?"

"Relaxing," came Nooroo's irritated reply. "And you're interrupting."

"Oh." The blue kwami deflated. "I'll just leave now."

"No, no, Duusu, you're not interrupting anything," Emilie said, eager to cheer up the little sprite.

She perked back up and flew over to Emilie. "Really? I'm not interrupting?"

"Not at all. Come join us," she invited, even as Nooroo grumbled in disapproval.

"Okay." The kwami looked at the bubbles. "What do I do?"

Emilie reached over and grabbed a spare loofah from underneath the small table beside the tub. She plopped it on the bubbles. "Lay down on that and relax."

"Okay." Duusu dove for the loofah, tackling the sponge and disappearing below the water. She emerged a second later, spitting water out of her mouth. Bubbles covered her forehead and tail. "Wow! This is fun!"

"It's not supposed to be _fun_ ," Nooroo complained crossly. "You're supposed to be quiet and restful and –ack! Duusu!"

For the blue kwami had spit some water at Nooroo with a smile. She dove back under the bubbles and shot into the sky, shaking herself violently. Bubbles floated down everywhere. Emilie laughed as Nooroo squeaked.

"I'm out of here," he grumbled, floating up and vanishing through the wall.

"Oh," Duusu said, her tail lowering once more. "I scared him away. I'm not too good at this relaxing stuff," she said.

"It's okay, Duusu," Emilie assured her, cupping her hands to scoop the kwami up. "Sometimes relaxing is about having fun. You're having fun, right?"

"Of course!"

"Then you're relaxing. Nooroo just likes to do things a bit differently. And there's nothing wrong with that, either."

"Okay!"

Cheered, the kwami dove back into the bubbles with a squeal of delight, flicking the puffs high into the air and carving a path through the thick foam. Emilie smiled as she watched the child-like kwami revel in the enjoyment of a simple bubble bath. It reminded her of Adrien when he was little and used to play with the bubbles. She closed her eyes with a sigh and leaned back against the tub.

"I heard there were some bubbles in here," a new voice greeted. She opened her eyes once more to meet a red kwami staring at her.

"Hello, Tikki," she greeted.

"Tikki!" Duusu shouted. "Look! Bubbles!"

Tikki brightened and to Emilie's utter surprise, dove into the bubbles after Duusu.

"She can certainly be a child when she wants to be," another voice spoke beside Emilie.

"And you're not the least bit interested, Plagg?" Emilie replied.

"Of course I'm interested," he replied. "I'm here, aren't I? Where's that floating bed?" Spotting Nooroo's abandoned loofah, he headed for it, curling up on top like his namesake and ignoring the other two kwamis frolicking in the bubbles.

"That's _my_ spot, Plagg." Nooroo floated back into view with his arms folded crossly.

"Mine now." The black kwami didn't even open his eyes.

"Ugh!"

Emilie retrieved a fresh loofah for Nooroo since Duusu had soaked the other one. "Here you go," she said.

Nooroo snatched the offered sponge and settled down onto his new bed.

And as the kwamis played and slept, Emilie realized the tension she had been holding inside had melted in their presence. She smiled.

After a while there was a knock on the door.

"Emilie?"

"Come on in, Gabriel."

The door opened. Her husband walked in with a look of slight concern on his face. "We can't seem to find... oh, here they are."

His expression shifted from apprehension to bemusement as he took in the scene before him. Tikki and Duusu splashing and diving around each other, occasionally hitting Plagg or Nooroo. Plagg, true to form, ignored them all in favor of his nap while Nooroo would squeak in indignation each time a drop of water hit him. Emilie giggled.

"So cute," she murmured.

"Yes, you are," he answered, staring straight at her. She blushed.

He headed back out of the room. "I'll go inform the kids where their kwamis have vanished to. They were a bit worried."

"Aww, so soon?" Emilie pouted.

Gabriel glanced at her over his shoulder and the smoldering look he aimed at her shot shivers down to her toes. "Let me go reassure the kids, then I'll come right back."

"I look forward to it."


	16. I'm here

_Day 16 - I'm here_

"I need to train."

The first words out of Emilie's mouth when they awoke the next morning spurred Gabriel into action. He sat up.

"What?"

"I've put this off long enough, Gabriel. I need to train. I want to train. We need to get back in shape."

"But we're the best," Gabriel said.

"We _were_ the best. Now, we're rusty."

He scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm pretty sure if our son and his 'just a friend' can keep out of your reach for two whole years, then that definitely classifies as us being 'rusty'."

That shut him up.

So after breakfast, Gabriel informed Adrien and Marinette (who had come over to study for their upcoming exam) that he and Emilie were headed out to train.

"Train?" Adrien asked.

Gabriel nodded. "We're both admittedly a bit rusty from not using our powers. We need to get back into the strict regimen we used to do when we were at our peak. If we're going to defeat this latest threat, we cannot hold you two back."

Marinette tilted her head. "Can we train with you?"

Gabriel almost agreed, for the kids needed to amp up their game as well and training together would only build a cohesive unit – flawless and unstoppable. But something held him back.

The gleam in the young designer's eyes unnerved him, hidden by the innocence in the question.

"Perhaps next time," he deflected, and this time he was certain he didn't miss the disappointment that flashed across her face. Maybe she just wanted experience? "We'll train together soon – all of us."

And he might have not thought anything else of it, except for this time Adrien's face morphed into that oh-so-innocent expression he adopted whenever he was caught doing something he shouldn't have been. His unease grew.

"Don't you two train together?" Gabriel asked, trying to pinpoint the source of that squirmy feeling in his stomach.

"Oh of course," Marinette replied, saccharine sweet. The hairs on the back of his neck rose. "We were just looking forward to training with _you._ "

He didn't quite know what to make of it. "I see." His head swirled with dizziness, trying to read the situation. What was he missing?

"Don't worry, dears," Emilie cut in, "you'll get your chance for a little payback against Gabriel soon enough."

His head whipped around as he stared at his wife. She smiled. He snapped back to the two teenagers, both of whom now had guilty expressions upon their faces.

"You... is _that_ why you wanted to train with us?" he asked.

"No, Mr. Agreste," Marinette insisted, eyes wide with innocence and her tone the perfect blend of harmlessness and sincerity. "We just want to get better and work together as a team. We _are_ a team now, aren't we?"

And the combination of the words themselves, her too-wide eyes, and Adrien's equally encouraging expression confirmed it for him.

"No way. You two are evil conniving people," he said, pointing his finger at each of them.

Instantly, they both dropped all pretense of pretending. "You have to train with us sometime," Adrien said.

"It's only a matter of time," Marinette agreed.

Why did he feel so horrified at those words?

"We have a lot of things to work out between us," Adrien continued.

Marinette frowned at him. "Do you know how many times I got grounded because of _your_ akumas?"

Uh oh. Hasty retreat _now._

"We really need to get going," he said to Emilie.

"Train well," Adrien called after him. "You'll need all the help you can get."

And with that ominous farewell, he practically bolted from the room, Emilie giggling beside him.

* * *

They trained all day, well into the afternoon. Both of them had to work through insecurities and hesitations. They exhausted themselves to the point of passing out, yet they still trained through it, determined to prove something to each other, their teammates, but most of all, themselves.

So it was late afternoon when they finally called it quits. They dropped their transformations and lay against the cool brick of the abandoned warehouse, panting and heaving in the cooling spring air.

"I don't know, darling," Emilie murmured, "what if I fall again? What if I fail everyone like I failed you? Maybe I should surrender my Miraculous to someone younger; someone who won't make the mistakes I have made."

Gabriel tightened his grip around her. "If anyone is the failure here, it is me. I failed to be there for Adrien. I failed to be the father he needed. I failed all of Paris when I attacked the city instead of defending it like we vowed."

"All because of me," Emilie said.

"No," he interjected, harsh and angry. "It was my decision. I chose to walk the path of evil instead of upholding the heroics of our position."

"You were desperate."

"It doesn't make it right."

They sat in silence for a while.

"I don't know if I can do this," Emilie repeated.

"You can. I'm here. We'll do it together. Fight through all of our insecurities and doubts and fears and emerge as the heroes Paris remembers."

"You always had such faith in me."

"I could say the same for you."

She smiled. "I love you, Gabriel."

"And I love you, Emilie." He gripped her tighter to him and she sighed as she relaxed into his embrace. "Darling?" The hint of mischief in his voice drew Emilie back to their own teenage years.

"Mmm?"

"Do you want to announce to Paris that we've returned?"

She chuckled. "I thought we did that at the press conference?"

"I'm talking about our move."

She sat up and turned to face him. "You don't mean...?"

He nodded. "Are you up for it?"

She thought on it. At last, a small smile curved at her lips. "Yeah," she said. "Let's do this."


	17. Leap of Faith

_Day 17 – Leap of Faith_

They stood on the very top of the Eiffel Tower, staring out across Paris.

"Are you sure?" Paon asked one last time. "I don't think there's a pile of hay waiting at the bottom for you."

Papillon nodded. "We've got this." She turned to her partner. "I trust you."

And with that, she leaped off the top, arms spread open. The wind buffeted around her. She gripped her cane in one hand. She swirled it around her, creating a thin lasso of light. She pointed it downward, where it expanded upon contact with the ground. The area shimmered with faint pink light. She flipped over, facing the sky, and aimed her cane up in the air. The pink light shot upward, surrounding her and Paon, who floated beside her.

That was his cue. Paon grabbed her around the waist and tugged her against him, twirling over. Now she was facing the ground again, holding onto his shoulders as he spread out his fans to slow their descent.

He smiled at her, completely relaxed. She watched the ground over his shoulder. Almost...

"Now!" she cried. He flicked his wrists and blades shot out from his fans. He twisted back around. Papillon pointed her cane back to the ground as the blades sank into her pink wall. The light shattered into a million pieces, falling to the ground in a silent cascade. The ensuing vacuum caught them at the last moment.

Paon latched onto her waist and righted them both.

They landed softly on their feet. Paon snapped his fans shut and hooked them to his belt while Papillon attached her cane to her back. Then, he twirled her around and dipped her, pressing his lips hotly against hers. It was only when they stood that they realized the attention they attracted.

People all around them clapped and cheered, clamoring for a glimpse of the newest heroes. Alya had pushed her way to the front, pointing her phone at the two of them.

"Ladybloggers, this is Alya here with stunning video footage of Paon and Papillon in action! For those of you unfamiliar with what just happened, what you just witnessed was their signature move. There is no doubt that these two are the heroes that once protected Paris. How exciting to have them actually back again helping Ladybug and Chat Noir! Oh, can I get an interview?"

Papillon beamed at the girl, but Paon drew her back, murmuring something in her ear. "Ah," Papillon answered. "I'm sorry, but maybe next time."

With that, the two of them took off again, soaring over the city.

When they arrived back at home some time later, both Marinette and Adrien were waiting for them.

"What were you thinking?" Adrien admonished, the first words out of his mouth. He showed them the video Alya posted on the _Ladyblog_.

"That was amazing!" Marinette gushed. "How did you do that?"

"Marinette!"

"Er, I mean, yeah that looked pretty dangerous," she amended.

"You could have died!"

Emilie smiled at Adrien. Beside her, Gabriel glowed with a sparkling excitement that she hadn't seen from him since their heroing days, though he hid it behind a facade of neutrality. They both needed this.

"We did this all the time," she explained. "We needed to reassure the public that we were back in top form."

Marinette turned to Adrien. "We need a signature move."

"I thought that was our fist bump."

"That's not sensational enough."

Emilie chuckled. "You can try, dears," she said, "but I don't think you'll ever touch what we do. We've perfected that over a lifetime of unconditional trust and reflexive action. We could do that stunt in our sleep."

"Part of it has to do with our abilities," Gabriel added.

"How so?"

He merely smiled at them. "Well, for one, it involves being extremely familiar with all the ins and outs of your skills. That requires training."

"That's what we were trying to say earlier," Adrien said.

"Not with us. You have to train alone _and_ with your partner. We'll train with you eventually, yes, but right now, do you really think you stand a chance against our teamwork?"

Adrien and Marinette exchanged a look. "No, I suppose not," Adrien admitted at last.

"Let's get to work, then!" Marinette exclaimed. She grabbed Adrien's hand and marched away.

Emilie waited until they were out of sight before turning to her husband. "Nice deflection. How long do you think that will work before they insist on training with us?"

Gabriel released a sigh of relief. "Hopefully not until I get back into shape again and they release a lot of that anger at me."

Emilie laughed. "Oh, darling, that'll take _years_."

* * *

 _ **Author's Note** : Days 18 and 19 will be the next part of my crack series universe "Unconventional Scenarios" consisting of Fanboy, Cosplay Contest, Resident Expert, The Merchant of Paris, and Miraculously in Concert. This series will resume on Day 20 with "Wish"._


	18. Wish

_Day 20 – Wish_

Gabriel smiled as he opened his eyes that morning, already anticipating the warmth of his wife in his arms. He turned over and reached for her.

His hand patted empty space. He frowned. The blankets were cool to the touch.

"Emilie?" he called out, sitting up in his bed. No answer from the bathroom. "Emilie?"

A little bit of panic threaded through him, but he pushed it back. "Duusu?"

No answer from the excitable kwami.

"Nooroo?"

Silence.

He swallowed hard. This couldn't have all been a dream, could it? The memories – they were so real. They _had_ to have been real. He... he wasn't the villain again, was he?

"Emilie?" he tried one more time.

His heart plummeted at the silence.

"No," he murmured, squeezing his eyes shut and pressing his palms into them hard enough to bring spots. "It can't have all been a dream." He clung to the memories – Emilie laughing, Duusu chirping around his head, his son holding the hand of Marinette as they giggled over a joke. He choked on that last image. Did that mean he was still fighting Ladybug and Chat Noir? His own son? And his son's classmate?

He felt he knew Marinette even if all he had to go on was the idealized images in his mind, remnants from his dream. He _wanted_ his son to get together with Marinette. He _wanted_ his wife to help him with their failed schemes to get the two awkward teenagers dating. He _wanted..._ this. He wanted this life.

This was his wish.

Not just his wife alive in his arms.

Not just his son safe in his home.

But this loving family. Being a hero again. Helping out a young designer with her own dream instead of sending akumas after her on a weekly basis.

Was that what his dream was meant to show? What his life could be?

How did it all begin?

He offered a truce to Ladybug and Chat Noir. That's right.

But were the images in his mind those of the truth? Were Ladybug and Chat Noir actually Adrien and Marinette? He couldn't risk approaching them in their civilian forms if he was wrong.

Or would everything have to go exactly the way it happened in his dream?

Would he have to wait until the more dangerous threat manifested before he could step in?

He threw the covers aside. He needed to start now if he wanted his wish to come true. He had to consult Nooroo immediately.

He reached for the door just as it opened. He jumped back, his heart lodging in his throat.

Emilie walked in, carrying a plate of food and a mug of steaming tea balanced on a tray. Duusu and Nooroo floated around her, and she giggled as she hushed them. "Gabriel might still be sleeping," she whispered before catching sight of him. "Oh! Good morning, darling, did you sleep well?"

He stumbled back, his legs hitting the edge of the bed where he collapsed onto it. He stared at his wife, eyes wide and unseeing.

"Gabriel?" Emilie quickly set the tray on the nightstand and sat beside him. "What's wrong?"

He turned to her and cradled her face in his hands. "You're here," he murmured, pressing his forehead against hers. She cupped his hands.

"Of course, darling," she replied.

"I thought... it was all a dream," he confessed. "I woke up and you were gone. I thought... everything that had happened so far was a dream. That you weren't back. That I was..."

She wrapped him up in a hug. "I'm so sorry for worrying you, Gabriel. I went to get some breakfast for us," she said. "You were sleeping so peacefully in that adorable curl you do, I didn't have the heart to disturb you. I thought I would be back before you awoke."

His hands shook as he instinctively clutched her tighter. "Don't leave me again," he murmured. "My heart can't take it."

"I'll be sure to have one of the kwamis with you next time," she told him. She twisted around and laid on the bed, pulling him with her. "Let's cuddle for a bit," she said.

He complied without protest, curling up against her. His warm breath softened and evened out as he fell asleep once more, the trembles finally dying out as he relaxed in her embrace. She didn't even think of moving. She closed her eyes and snuggled into him as the food and tea grew cold on the nightstand.

She would never leave him alone again.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:** Check out Perdita's contribution to today's prompt with a humorous crack fic called "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" that totally does not trivialize the enormous power Adrien and Marinette have! :D_


	19. In Sickness and in Health

_Day 21 – In sickness and in health_

"Blast it all," Emilie fumed, flinging a couch pillow across the room.

Gabriel looked up from his work, concerned. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"This stupid tea," she replied, throwing herself onto the now empty couch and crossing her arms. Gabriel set down his pen and rose from his desk, sinking beside her on the couch.

"What's wrong with it?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to his chest.

"It's not working."

"What do you mean?" The soothing rubbing motion of his hands up and down her arms relaxed her, as did his steady voice in contrast to her fiery anger.

"I'm still weak. I'm not getting any better."

"Sure you are," Gabriel insisted, his soft, low voice calming her as much as his presence against her.

"I'm still so tired."

"Nonsense," he insisted. "You've gone all day today and yesterday without napping once. That's progress."

She blinked as she mulled over that. "I suppose... but I'm not getting better fast enough. It's been _weeks_ , Gabriel, and I feel I'm no better off than when I first awoke."

"I'll happily take weeks over the years without you by my side."

"Gabriel!"

"I'm serious, Emilie. A few weeks is nothing. The kids can handle any minor threat that appears. You had to have seen the videos of them in action against my akumas. They're brilliant."

"This is different. More dangerous. You know this."

"I do," he agreed, pressing a kiss to her temple. "And I'll be there to help if needed. Master Fu is close to selecting a new wielder, or so he told me the other day when he inquired about your progress."

"Great, another newbie to train," Emilie grumbled.

Gabriel leaned his head down to her shoulder. "A newbie to mold into the best fighter ever under our combined teamwork," he corrected.

She harrumphed but didn't reply.

"What's really bothering you?"

She should have known he was too perceptive. He didn't even _have_ the Butterfly Miraculous anymore and the man was still too tuned to others' emotions. It annoyed her.

"What if I'm not as good as I was before?" No sense lying to him. "What if I cause everyone to get hurt? You? Adrien? I couldn't live with myself if I was the cause of either of your deaths."

"I'm happy to see you have such faith in Adrien and my skills," he returned drolly.

"I'm serious, Gabriel."

"As am I, Emilie. You could have a bit more faith in your teammates."

There was another long pause.

"What if I'm not good enough for you anymore?" she whispered.

"That's a question I ask myself about you every day," he confessed. "Every morning I wake up expecting you to look at me in disgust for what I've done. For Adrien to get fed up with his father. For you to leave me."

"I would never," she began, aghast.

"Neither would I," he completed. "I promised you once before – vowed it even – that I would remain by your side through sickness and in health. Do you remember?"

Silly question.

He nuzzled her neck with his lips. "This counts as the 'sickness' part, I do believe," he murmured, and his warm breath against her skin sent shivers through her body. "We're working on bringing you back to the 'health' part."

She melted against him, her anger dissipating like the last remnants of the evening tide washing out to sea. "And you think I would abandon my vow as easily? I think your days as a villain count as 'sickness' as well." She smirked and turned to tap his nose. "Sickness in the head," she clarified. He grinned.

"You don't see me denying that," he admitted. "Did you want to get some rest?"

"No," she said after a moment of thought. "No more naps for me anymore. Let's go train."

She rose and he followed with a lovesick grin on his face as she gripped his hand and led him out the door.


	20. Nicknames

_Day 22 – Nicknames_

"Cheese Dispenser."

"Cookie Disaster."

"Forbidden Snacks."

"Lucky Harm."

" _Cat_ erpillar."

Tikki snorted. "Okay," she conceded to her feline friend. "You win with that one."

Plagg grinned, showing his tiny fangs. "I could go on for days with these nicknames."

Duusu giggled beside him. "You don't seriously call Adrien 'Caterpillar', do you?"

"Why not?" Plagg folded his arms. "He's the son of a Butterfly _and_ he's my wielder. It's the perfect pun." He held up one hand. "And don't you _dare_ say its 'purr-fect'."

Tikki laughed. Nooroo tilted his head. "Why Forbidden Snacks?"

"Have you _seen_ the stuff in his room? I've tried to eat everything at _least_ twice, sometimes three times. None of it is edible!"

"Duusu, what are some of the things you've called Gabriel?"

She cocked her head to one side. "I don't know. Gabe doesn't really like to be called anything but 'Gabriel'."

"Uh huh," Plagg agreed. "So what did you call him anyway?"

She giggled and slapped her kwami hands over her mouth. "I didn't call him anything, really," she said.

"Well, I did," Nooroo chimed in. "Drove him up the wall."

"Oooh," Tikki said, "do share."

Nooroo thought for a moment. "Well, I never really had the nerve to call some of these to him directly." His face split into an evil grin so unorthodox on the sweet kwami. "But I certainly passed the time thinking of them!"

The other three kwami burst into laughter. "Tell us, Nooroo," Tikki encouraged.

"Well, I always thought it was fitting that Gabriel initially got paired with Duusu, since she's a bird kwami and his hair... well..."

More laughter.

"He certainly repelled me at times," Nooroo continued. "And you know what the young people say about old people these days? How they smell?" His eyes twinkled.

The other kwami caught on instantly.

"Mothballs!" they crowed in glee, dissolving into laughter.

The door opened and Gabriel walked in, carrying a mug. "Ah, there you all are," he said. "We were getting worried. What are you doing?"

"Kwami stuff," Plagg answered, unaffected by the mild disapproval in Gabriel's tone.

"Hmm, well I need my office back to do some work, so could you kindly move your 'kwami stuff' to another room in the house?" He sat down and lifted his cup to his lips.

"Sure thing, Flutterbutt," Plagg replied.

And the kwamis all took _enormous_ satisfaction at seeing Gabriel Agreste choke and spit his drink all over his desk.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:** What's this? A drabble? Sorry for it being so short, I really couldn't think of more nicknames for our wielders, and I'm on a time crunch now._


	21. Sunshine

_Day 23 – Sunshine_

Gabriel was sitting in his chair looking over reports when a strangled cry from his wife shot his head up.

"Gabriel, look!" she cried, pointing at the television. On screen, an enormous black cloud surrounded a section of Paris. Twisting and turning within the mass, one could just make out a bright red figure and a spot of blond hair.

"Duusu, Quills Open," Gabriel said immediately. Beside him, his wife called for her transformation as well. Without waiting another minute, Paon opened the window and soared out, his partner at his heels.

* * *

 _A short time earlier_

"Well, Bugaboo, what do you think?"

"About what?"

"Ready to call it quits and enjoy the rest of our patrol?"

Ladybug glanced around, at the sun shining down on the city. "I suppose. We've circled around the city already and discovered nothing. We could just head back to your house," she said. Her smile curved impishly. "Or we could have some fun."

"Lead the way," Chat said.

They hopped and rappelled over the rooftops of Paris, ending on the top of some unknown sector. Below them, people scattered about like ants, hurrying through their day and oblivious to the heroes above their heads.

"Selfie contest?" Chat suggested. "There's lots of people down there."

"Sure. Quantity or time limit?"

Chat looked at his baton to check the time. "I say time limit. Meet back here in fifteen minutes and we'll see who got the most selfies."

"You got it."

Before either hero could bound away, a shadow eclipsed the sunlight. Both heroes looked up.

"That's no cloud, LB," Chat remarked.

"It's another one of the creatures from the portals!"

And as the shadow creature descended upon the heroes, they both leaped up to meet the threat head on. Below, the people finally noticed something as the sunlight was obscured. Screams echoed through the alleyways as the people began to panic.

"At least they're running to safety," Chat joked, deflecting a hit from the monster.

"Saves us some trouble," Ladybug agreed.

They struggled against the creature for a few more minutes, ducking and weaving in between the serpentine attacks.

"We can't keep this up for much longer," Chat panted.

"I know, but we can't seem to get clear to regroup," she replied, equally as exhausted.

The creature growled, it's murky sides solidifying into a tangible shape as it advanced upon the heroes. Chat and Ladybug readied their weapons, tensing for an attack.

A flash of blue, then something small whacked into the creature before boomeranging away. It roared in fury.

Paon swooped down, snatching the boomerang back as he descended, his other fan outstretched to guide his landing. Both Ladybug and Chat Noir jumped in surprise, then flushed once they realized who it was.

"Sorry, Paon," Ladybug apologized. "I'm just not used to seeing you fight on our side," she explained.

He shook his head. "Time for that later," he said, seemingly unaffected by their brief moment of hesitation. He turned and flung out the boomerang fan in one smooth motion, halting the monster's advancement upon their position. When it roared again, the shadows in the corners of the buildings shrunk briefly before expanding.

"Did you see that?" Ladybug exclaimed. Paon narrowed his eyes, then turned and faced the sky.

"Anytime now, dear," he murmured.

On cue, a delicate flutter of purple floated down between Paon and the teen heroes. "Hello darlings," Papillon said with a wink, rising and leaning against Paon's back. He tilted his head to the side to acknowledge her presence with a smile.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Of course, darling."

Paon glanced at the other two. "Stay behind me," he ordered. He snapped open his fan strummed it. Each feather he touched glowed as his fingers trailed across the weapon. He lowered the fan so that it was level with the monster. "Sonic Scream," he intoned, and a pulse of blue resonated from the feathers when he flicked his wrist. Several waves rippled out as the echo of a shrieking cry emitted from his weapon. The waves struck the monster, who froze – paralyzed at the sound.

"Now!" Paon cried.

Papillon held out her palm and a white energy butterfly appeared. "Metamorphosis," she breathed out, gentle and serene. She aimed it at the monster. The moment the pure akuma touched the monster, it vanished – absorbed into the dark creature's essence.

Instantly, the monster wailed as beams of light shot from it, cracking open the darkness. Eventually, the light overtook the darkness and the vanquished monster returned back to the ether.

The darkness lifted.

And the sun beamed its reassuring warmth upon the city once more.

"Wow!" Chat gasped.

Paon turned to the two teens. "Not here," he said. "We'll talk back at headquarters."

With that, he extended his fans and shot into the sky. With a smile, Papillon followed him, the edges of her skirt flaring out to catch the wind. In the shining light, with her clothes billowing out behind her like the wings of a butterfly, she looked every bit of her namesake.

"Guess we better follow," Ladybug said.

"Let's go the long way," Chat said. "We don't want to create a direct path back to the house," he pointed out.

"Lead the way, partner."


	22. Early Hours

_Day 24 – Early Hours_

"No more impromptu patrols," Gabriel said. He stood in one of the back rooms of the manor, calm and collected. The occasional pacing was the only evidence of his agitation.

Adrien and Marinette nodded.

"When you do go on patrol, you do it in pairs. No separating or splitting up anymore, got it?"

More nods.

"Check in every thirty minutes."

"Yes, Father."

"Yes, Mr. Agreste."

Having gotten their agreements, Gabriel's face softened, losing the tight, strained expression he wore since he dropped his transformation. "That being said, you two did spectacularly out there today."

The kids brightened.

"Thanks, Mr. Agreste."

"What was that ability you used, Father?"

"Sonic Scream."

"What did it do?"

Gabriel took a seat beside his wife reaching across her for his own cup of tea. "It aims a kind of sound pulse in a conical arc in front of me. At close ranges, it can paralyze things. The closer they are to the point of origin, the longer the paralysis lasts. That's why you needed to stay behind me when I used it."

"Cool!" Adrien breathed out.

Gabriel smiled as he offered another chunk of banana nut bread to Duusu, sitting on the end table with Nooroo. "She is certainly amazing," he praised, and his kwami preened at the compliment.

He straightened and fixed the two kids with another level look. "But that brings me back to my next point. We need to increase the training." He sighed. "It appears you two will get your wish after all – we're going to train together."

Instead of cheering the kids up, they merely nodded. The latest threat had sobered them – zapping any desire for revenge.

"When do we start?" Marinette asked.

"Tomorrow morning, bright and early. We'll meet here before heading over to the training grounds."

* * *

"Too early," Marinette mumbled, leaning against the wall with her eyes half-opened. Emilie shot her a sympathetic smile.

"The monsters that attack us won't care about the time of day," Gabriel said. Emilie rolled her eyes as Marinette groaned in protest.

"Here, Marinette," Adrien said, handing her a steaming cup of coffee. "This will help wake you up."

"Is that why you're so cheerful?" she said, but she accepted the travel mug and sipped it.

He merely smiled at her as they headed out to the training site.

Once they arrived, Gabriel made quick work of assigning them tasks – coordination exercises for Adrien and Marinette and endurance training for Emilie and him. They trained until the early morning faded to afternoon, breaking for lunch and resuming until the early evening hours. When at last they broke for the day, even Gabriel was having difficulty steadying his breathing.

"We'll meet again tomorrow," he said, and the kids groaned in exhaustion. Gabriel leveled his sternest, no-nonsense look at them. "We won't be doing physical training," he added and they perked up. "Appropriate rest and recovery for your muscles is necessary. We will do intensive workouts every other day, to every third day. Tomorrow, we'll begin to build up the trust between us. We can't have you two flinching every time I drop into battle or questioning my decisions based on our past history."

The two teenagers flushed again, but Gabriel didn't appear angry or upset.

"I'm simply stating the facts as they are," he explained. "You don't have anything to apologize for, but it _is_ a limitation we will need to overcome. Let's get some rest. I'll have Nathalie print out some trust building exercises the company uses." He turned and headed out of the training center.

With a groan of weariness, the kids followed. Chuckling, Emilie trailed after them, feeling more alive than she had in the past few weeks.


	23. Bed Sharing

_Day 25 – Bed Sharing_

Gabriel rolled over in his bed, intending to drape an arm around his wife and drag her closer to him. The tip of his nose touched something warm and he opened his eyes.

"What the-?"

A black blob lay on the edge of his pillow. He blinked and raised his head to get a better look at it.

"Plagg? What are you doing here?"

"Sleeping," came the mumbled reply. His eyes remained shut.

"What about your own bed?"

"Like yours better."

The kwami flipped away from Gabriel, effectively ending the conversation. He sighed, knowing further argument against the stubborn sprite would be ineffective. He snaked his arm under the covers, hoping to at least snag his wife's waist.

His hand hit a lump midway down.

He raised his head. "Duusu?"

The blue kwami peeked up at him. "Hi, Gabe," she chirped.

"What are you doing here? What's wrong with the bed on the dresser?"

"You guys looked so warm and comfy." Her eyes widened. "Do you want me to leave?"

He sighed. "No, it's alright, Duusu. You can stay here."

"Okay!" She curled up her head and fell back asleep.

He groaned. Maybe he could slide his feet over and entwine with Emilie's legs.

An indignant yelp silenced that thought.

"Nooroo? You too?" The purple kwami peered at him from the foot of the bed.

"I didn't want to be left out," he explained, sad and timid.

"Ugh." Gabriel plopped his head back down on the pillow, ignoring Plagg's hiss as the action disturbed the cat's slumber.

A light giggle got him looking to his wife. "Cheer up, Gabriel," she said.

"Can you at least turn over so I can see your gorgeous face? Since I can't touch you, your breathtaking beauty will suffice to ease my heart for now."

She giggled at his dramatics. "I would love to, darling, but Tikki is cuddled on my neck. I don't have the heart to disturb the sweet thing."

Gabriel lifted his head and spotted a red lump on the crook of his wife's neck.

"What is she doing here?" he squawked.

Tikki blinked her eyes open. "Marinette and Adrien fell asleep playing video games. Plagg turned off the TV and I sent a text to her parents pretending to be her so they don't worry." She closed her eyes and burrowed back into her makeshift bed. His wife giggled as the kwami tickled her neck.

"Ugh! Who needs a pet when we have our own version of cats and dogs that hog the bed?" he groaned, giving up and flipping back over to get some more sleep.


	24. Please?

_Day 26 – Please?_

"Darling, let's do something fun today," Emilie said.

Gabriel raised his eyebrow. "Fun?"

"Yeah," she said. "I've practically been cooped up inside this house since I've awoken. I want to do something fun. With you."

"Uhm..."

"The kids are with Master Fu, working on his recruiting tactics," Emilie continued. "That just leaves you and I. We need some time away from being _us_."

"We could transform and-"

"No, Gabriel," Emilie interrupted. "I don't want to do this as our hero personas. I want you to take me out on a date as us. You, my darling husband Gabriel, and me, your devoted wife. Not Gabriel Agreste, the fashion icon. Not Gabriel Agreste, the feverishly busy businessman. Not Paon, the impressive superhero. But simply Gabriel, the man I fell in love with. Let's do something we haven't done in years. Please?"

He swallowed. "What did you have in mind?"

* * *

Emilie curled around Gabriel's arm and snuggled close to him as they walked down the sunny streets. Vendors hawked their wares left and right, and Emilie sighed as she let the din wash over her.

"An art fair," Gabriel remarked, glancing around at the different stalls. "I haven't been to a street exhibit in years."

"Isn't that one of Adrien's classmates over there?" Emilie pointed to a young man with vibrant red hair manning a stall.

Gabriel peered at him for a minute. "Yes, Evillustrator."

Emilie slapped his arm.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, rubbing the sore spot. "What was that for?"

"You can't keep calling Adrien's classmates by their akuma names," she chided.

"I don't know his real name," he grumbled. "Only the name I gave him."

"Then let's go introduce ourselves."

"What?"

But Emilie already clutched his arm with an iron-clad grip, dragging him steadily toward the shy teenager.

"Hello," she said cheerfully when she arrived at the counter.

The redhead looked up, a bit startled that someone was actually at his booth. "Hello," he said pleasantly. "Can I help you with anything?"

"We're just looking around," Emilie said. "You go to school with our son."

The redhead's face scrunched for a moment, his eyes darting between Emilie and Gabriel. "Oh, right. Adrien's parents. Nice to meet you. I'm Nathaniel."

"You, too. What are you selling here?"

"Oh," he flushed. "Some of my artwork. I like to draw, especially comics. I'm not too good with the story part of it, but our classmate Marinette introduced me to her friend Marc, and we've created this entire series of comics."

"About what?" Emilie picked one up and flipped through it.

"Well, it started out as comics about Ladybug and Chat Noir, but with the new heroes showing up, we've included them in our most recent storyline." He pointed out the volumes on the table. Gabriel lifted one and opened it, his eyes dancing with amusement once he started reading the pages.

"This is really good," he complimented.

"Thank you," Nathaniel said.

"Do you have any still images of the heroes? Any of Papillon and Paon? Or both in a pair?"

"Uh, I think so." Nathaniel turned and rummaged through a box behind him. He straightened, holding a couple of prints in his hands.

"Here's a few that I created."

Gabriel took them from the boy and examined them, critically eyeing the artwork. At last, he looked back up. "I'll take them," he said.

"Which one?"

"All of these," he answered, holding the sheets in his hand. "And the series here." He picked up the book first introducing Paon and Papillon.

"This one, too," Emilie said, adding her book to the pile.

"Uh, wow, okay... wow. Thank you!" Nathaniel quickly summed up the total and pulled out some folders and bags to place the artwork in while Gabriel paid.

"You are very talented," Gabriel said as they were preparing to leave. "As is your friend. You two make your own fantastic superhero team."

Nathaniel's eyes widened at the praise. Even he had to have heard how standoffish Gabriel Agreste was. "T-thank you, Mr. Agreste. I'll tell Marc you liked his work."

They grabbed the bag and headed away.

"Where to now?" Gabriel asked, twining his fingers into hers.

"I'm getting a bit hungry," she admitted. "How about we grab some food and go sit by the Seine?"

"Sounds delightful."

"And maybe we can track down André for an ice cream later?"

"I've been looking forward to doing that since you came back to me," he confessed with a smile.

She squeezed his hand in response as they wandered down the crowded pathway in search for lunch.


	25. Post-Akuma Comfort

_Day 27 – Post-Akuma Comfort_

Paon stood outside of the enormous building, a dubious expression upon his face. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes," the twin replies from Ladybug and Chat Noir caused him to wince at their abruptness.

"I'm just saying that I think it would be better if-"

"No," Ladybug replied, firm and unyielding. " _You_ said we needed to build trust between each other. _You_ were the one who suggested we spend today doing those little exercises your company looked up on some corporate synergy playbook. _You_ were the one who said you wanted to make amends for your past actions. Chat and I discussed it. We've done this occasionally for the past two years and we feel that this would be a good for you."

Paon heaved a long sigh of resignation. "But I'm not good with children," he protested.

"You're not good with _anyone_ ," Ladybug corrected, and Papillon stifled a snort of laughter. Paon glared at his wife. "But this is a start. The children here are more forgiving of your brusqueness."

"Well, then, best to get this over with," Paon said, eager to get Ladybug to stop eviscerating his character. He marched inside the building. Behind his back, Ladybug and Chat Noir shared their trademark fist bump and followed. Papillon brought up the rear, still giggling softly to herself.

Inside, the receptionist at the counter looked up and gasped. "Paon," he breathed. His gaze slid past him to the others. "Wow, and Ladybug, Chat Noir and Papillon! What an honor."

"Hello there, Lambert," Ladybug said, reading off the name tag.

"I've heard about how you guys come and cheer up the children," Lambert said. "Are you going to do that today, too?"

"Yep," Ladybug answered.

"I'll get your badges ready," he said, hunching over the printer. In a few minutes, four sticker badges appeared. "Just put those on your... uh... well, your outfits. It's good for six hours. I know you guys don't need these, but it's protocol."

Ladybug and Chat Noir calmly accepted their stickers and pasted them to their suits. Papillon followed their lead and Paon reluctantly grabbed his.

"The children's wing is on the fifth level, off to the left. I'll buzz you on ahead because the door is locked."

"Thank you, Lambert," Chat Noir answered, clearly used to this procedure.

They headed off to the elevators right near the check-in desk, smiling at a few people who stopped to gawk at them. Once on the correct floor, Paon took a moment to study the surroundings while Chat Noir headed over to the intercom beside the locked door.

The small sign above the double doors read "Ward 5B" but the colorful block letters pasted on the doors themselves clarified "Children's Ward", along with multi-colored stars and shapes.

The doors released with a loud click and began to swing outward towards them. Papillon laced her fingers into his and he gulped as he stepped inside. The doors slowly closed behind him with another resounding click, and it felt like the doors of his figurative jail cell closing on him.

Well, it was probably better than an _actual_ jail cell, he reflected. Maybe.

A couple of nurses were waiting for them on the other side, and Paon took another moment to admire the décor inside the wing while Chat and Ladybug talked with the nursing staff. Instead of the clean yet dull decorations of the adult sections, the children's area shone with vibrant colors. The floor was painted a bright grass green and the walls a calming sky blue. On the walls, trees were either painted on or were a decal (Gabriel couldn't tell which). Their tall leafy branches stretched toward the ceiling. One of the trees had different names painted on the branches. A small play area was behind a gated area. For siblings of patients to play in, he assumed. He spotted a toy chest with several toys sticking out, a couple of which were Ladybug and Chat Noir. The entire area was so cheerful he almost forgot he was in a hospital.

"Right this way," one of the nurses was saying – the head nurse, according to her badge. "The children aren't expecting you, of course, so it will be a nice surprise for them, meeting the new heroes as well."

"Actually, if we could have Paon separate from us for a little bit," Chat said. He bent low and explained his plan to the nurse.

She smiled. "That would be lovely," she said. "Arlene, can you go show Mr. Paon to the closet with the spare smocks?"

Another nurse stepped up and waved to him. He return the shy wave with an equally as awkward one. "This way, please," she said.

He disappeared down the hall. After a few minutes of getting ready, he took his place outside of the room that the nurse led him to. She slipped inside to let them know he was in place. He could hear the excited voices on the other side of the door and he couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face. He listened for his cue.

"Now that the akumas are defeated for good, you have nothing to worry about."

That was it.

He pushed open the doors and stepped in with a commanding flourish, waving his arms dramatically and fluttering his 'cape'. "Ladybug and Chat Noir," he intoned. "I am Hawkmoth, come to take your Miraculous!"

Ladybug and Chat Noir stood to meet 'Hawkmoth' as the children around them gasped. Paon stood as straight as he could, covered in a hospital smock with one tied behind his neck as a cape. A face-mask with two eye-holes cut out covered his own mask. The nurse's badge clipped to his collar read "Hello! My name is HAWKMOTH" in bright purple marker, complete with a small akuma at the bottom.

"We defeated you once, Hawkmoth," Ladybug declared.

"And we'll do it again," Chat Noir finished.

"How do you plan on defeating me? I have so many potential akumas to pick from," he said, motioning to the kids, most of whom watched the 'battle' with excited fascination.

"These children will help us defeat you! Lucky Charm!"

Ladybug threw her yo-yo into the air. A thin coil of clear tubing fell into her hands. "What's this? IV line? Hmm..." She quickly glanced around the room. "Chat, I don't know how to use this!"

"You'll figure it out, LB," he replied. He looked to the children and snapped his fingers as an idea came to him. "I know, why don't we ask the kids here for help?"

"Chat! I can't endanger civilians," she chided.

"They won't be in any danger with me around," he replied, flexing his arms. "And they certainly look brave enough. What do you guys say?" he addressed the children. "Can you help Ladybug and I defeat Hawkmoth and his akumas?"

"Yes!" came the screaming cries of a dozen children.

"See, Bugaboo? They're all willing to help."

She chewed on her lip. "I don't know..."

"Let's at least try," he encouraged.

She nodded. "Okay." She looked around the room once more. "Got it! Chat, spread the word!" She whispered something in his ear. He smiled and nodded.

Paon waited until Ladybug and Chat Noir whispered their plan to each individual kid before he started forward again. "Enough time dallying," he said. "And give me your Miraculouses!"

"Now!"

The moment Paon stepped into the half-circle formed by the beds, a dozen blankets landed on top of him, thrown by the children. He started thrashing comically as Ladybug looped her IV tubing around him, securing it tight. Chat pawed aside the blankets to reveal his head. He plucked the badge off of Paon's collar with a cheeky smile and handed it to Ladybug, who ripped it in half dramatically.

"No more evildoing for you, little butterfly," she intoned. Around her, the children cheered as Chat Noir escorted 'Hawkmoth' out of the room.

Paon quickly shed his smocks and tossed them into the laundry hamper, along with the blankets. They grabbed armfuls of fresh blankets. As they were heading back into the room, Chat stopped him.

"You did great in there," he said. "Thanks for being a good sport about this."

Paon smiled at him. "You have a way with children, how you're able to bring a smile to their faces like that during their dark hours. That's a gift, Chat Noir. One that you should treasure."

Chat gulped and nodded. "Thank you, Fa—Paon."

Back inside, Chat began to hand out the blankets. Paon gave some to his wife, who had stood off to one side with the rest of the staff, laughing at his misfortune. "You did quite well, darling," she said to him.

"Hmph," he grumbled, but a tiny smile formed nonetheless.

As they handed out the blankets, Ladybug and Chat Noir spent several long minutes with each child individually. Papillon also joined in. Paon remained on the edges, still uncomfortable with mingling with the other heroes.

"You're my favorite," a voice caught his attention. He looked down to see a small boy smiling up at him.

"I'm what?"

"Paon is my favorite," the little boy repeated.

"Why is that?"

"My mom and dad told me all these stories about when you and Pap... Papi... Papillon fought bad guys when they were kids," he explained, stumbling over the big word until he mastered it. "I always liked you."

Paon pulled up a chair and sat down in it beside the boy. "Why is that?"

"Because you're cool."

Paon couldn't help the smile that appeared. In the age of always needed an excuse to justify his actions, the young boy's simple statement lightened his heart.

"I'm cool, huh?" he asked.

The boy nodded frantically. "The coolest! You're even cooler than Chat Noir, and he's pretty cool. All my friends think so."

"Your friends are pretty smart," Paon praised. "Chat Noir _is_ cool."

"But you're cooler."

"Thank you. What's your name, by the way?"

"Matéo."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Matéo."

"Thanks! You, too, Mr. Paon!"

"So your mom and dad told you stories about when I was active?"

He nodded. "Every night before I went to bed I would ask for a story. They used to tell me all about how you and Papillon" - he beamed at getting the name correct - "would fight bad guys. I told them that you were the bestest and my favorite. I can't wait to tell them I met you! And all my friends at school."

"Where's your mom and dad now?"

"At work. They come in after and spend the night with me. I'm in here for three weeks," he held up three small fingers. "And I only have one more left!"

"That's great!" Paon cheered. "You must be so excited."

"I am! I can't wait to see my friends again. They aren't allowed to visit because the doctors don't want them to get me sicker. I wanted to show them my cool head though! I told them I wouldn't have any hair but they didn't believe me." He ducked to show Paon his bald head.

Paon chuckled. "They'll certainly believe you now."

"Yeah!" Matéo laughed with him, then sobered. "Did you really defeat Hawkmoth?"

"Well, Ladybug and Chat Noir did. They restored the Miraculous to its rightful owner and I was reactivated as a hero."

"Oh, cuz Mommy and Daddy were afraid that I would be aku... akuma... akum... turned into a bad guy once they heard I was sick. They were so scared. I was scared, too."

Paon leaned in and settled one hand on the boy's shoulder. "You're a very brave man," he said. "Braver than even Ladybug and Chat Noir, and even myself. I promise you, though, that Hawkmoth is gone forever. You don't ever have to worry about him again."

Matéo brightened. "Because you'll be there to protect me?"

"That's right."

The boy lay back down in his bed. "Thanks, Paon."

Paon smiled. "You're welcome, Matéo. I'll tell you what, I'll come back and visit you before you get out next week, okay?"

"Really?"

Paon nodded.

"Wow, thanks Paon! I knew you were the coolest!"

And he stayed with Matéo until the boy's eyes closed and he fell asleep, exhausted from all of the excitement that day.

Outside of the hospital, Chat Noir turned to Paon. "You did pretty well in there," he said. "Children aren't all bad, are they?"

"No," he admitted, only slightly reluctant to do so to his son. "That was a really nice thing you've both done over the years."

As they walked away from the hospital, Paon turned and gave one last glance up at the fifth level, to where the Children's Ward was. He smiled.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note** : I'm sorry this is late. In fact, I wasn't even sure I would be able to post this today. I was out of town scuba diving all weekend long, and when I came home yesterday evening, I fell asleep instantly. And woke up feeling like crap, so I guess a cold is in my future. I was able to type this up this morning before work, and give it a quick edit afterwards. Forgive me if I'm slow replying to reviews and getting chapters out, I'm most likely either sleeping or at work. The rest of the chapters may or may not be delayed. I'll try to get them out on time, but no promises. I'm sorry, this past weekend was something that I had been worrying about for a long time._


	26. Unexpected Reveal

_Day 28 - Unexpected Reveal_

Alya sighed as she walked along the sidewalk. She couldn't help it. She should be happy. New heroes appearing. Hawkmoth defeated. Things were looking brighter.

But her blog counts were down. Now that people weren't fearing Hawkmoth, no one was visiting her website. And despite what the new heroes said, no one had actually _seen_ any new threat yet aside from the one shadow fight the other day. She wished she could interview Ladybug or Chat Noir (or Papillon or Paon, but those two seemed more standoffish than their counterparts), but the two heroes had vanished for the last several days.

On top of that, Marinette had been flaking on her more often than usual. Just this afternoon, for instance, Alya had secured a promise to hang out. She even told Nino not to bother walking with her because she and Marinette had an afternoon planned.

Until the girl got called out of class near the end. Along with Adrien. Something to do with some fashion thing? She missed the details in the hasty under-the-breath excuse Marinette mumbled, but knew Mr. Agreste was primarily responsible for their early dismissal. Was that why Marinette had been so tight-lipped lately? Was she working on a secret fashion project with Gabriel Agreste? Would Marinette really be able to keep that a secret from her? She trudged along, lost in her own morose thoughts when a shadow passed over her. She looked up. And gasped.

"Ladybug!" she exclaimed, catching a glimpse of the red-clad hero for the first time in an achingly long time. "And Chat Noir!" She whipped out her phone. "This is just what my blog needs! First look at our heroes in action." She took off running down the street, filming and narrating as she ran. "Hey Ladybloggers, this is Alya here with your first sight of Ladybug and Chat Noir after a whole week of absence. Let's see if we can catch up with them and ask them about the fight that was caught on camera."

A cry caught her attention. She looked around and spotted an elderly gentleman prone on the ground. A cane lay just out of reach. Alya bit her lip as she shot a remorseful glance back at her heroes before stopping her stream and running to help the man.

"Are you okay, sir?" she asked, helping him to a sitting position and grabbing the cane.

"I'm fine, miss," the man said. "I just slipped on something. These legs aren't quite as spry as they used to be."

"I understand," Alya replied. She helped him up as he grabbed the cane and hefted himself up.

"But I ruined your chance to get a video of Ladybug and Chat Noir," the man lamented.

Alya laughed and waved her hand. "Don't sweat it," she assured him. "My bloggers will just have to wait for another scoop."

"Those don't come around very often," the man said.

She shrugged. "I'll deal. Have a good day, sir," she said.

The man waited until she was out of sight. "And you as well, Miss Cesaire." With a small smile, he turned and sauntered away.

Back in her room, Alya tossed her bag aside and flopped down on her bed, wallowing in self-pity as she read the tweets and posts from other people about catching the latest of the heroes. She grumbled with each new picture and comment that appeared. And her blog sat quiet, empty, and completely void of visitors.

Well, that wasn't entirely accurate. She had several comments from fans expressing their disbelief that she wasn't the first person to get this amazing scoop.

With another groan, she rolled off her bed and tossed her phone aside. She didn't want to look at it anymore. Maybe some homework to take her mind off this. She opened up her bag and pulled out her tablet when her fingers brushed against a foreign object. "What's this?" she muttered, pulling out the ornately inlaid wooden box. A white envelope was attached. She unstuck the envelope and set it aside, opening the box first.

"Ah!" she cried as a blinding orange light seared her eyes. She threw up her arms on instinct. When the light faded, she found herself facing a tiny orange... fox? It blinked at her. "Wow!" she cried, "You are so cute! Is this some kind of holograph? Did Nino make you?"

"Nobody made me, honey," the fox replied.

Alya's face lit up. "You're interactive!"

"I'm a kwami," the fox corrected.

"With a name!"

"It's Trixx, actually."

"So cool!"

"Thank you." The fox kwami preened. "I like to think I'm the coolest of the bunch."

"Bunch? There's more of you?" Alya resisted the urge to poke the fox. The tail was adorable!

"Of course. Pollen thinks she's the coolest, but I just let her think that. Plagg gives everyone a run for the cool kwami, but he's really too lazy to keep up appearances. Such a typical cat."

"Uh... Pollen? Plagg?"

Trixx peered at her. "They might not be active yet. I've been inactive for several years." She yawned, exposing a mouth filled with tiny sharp teeth. "But they rest in the bee miraculous and the black cat miraculous."

Miraculous. That was a word she understood. "Cat?" she asked. "Like Chat Noir?"

Trixx's eyes lit up and her tail twitched in excitement. "Ah, so he _is_ active. Excellent!" Her eyes gleamed. "He's always fun to annoy."

Alya shook her head. "Wait, I'm confused. What's going on?"

The orange kwami cast her a sympathetic look. "Honey, I'm a kwami. I grant you the powers of illusion. Just wear your miraculous and call out my catch phrase."

"Uh, maybe later." Alya reached over and picked up the envelope. She opened it, skimming the contents. "What does this mean, Trixx?" she asked.

The kwami floated over to her. " _The answers you seek may be found here. Tomorrow, 4pm._ " There was an address listed. Alya quickly punched it into her phone.

"Adrien's house?" she questioned aloud. She looked over at her kwami. "What does Adrien have to do with getting answers?"

Trixx shrugged. "Dunno, honey, I've been asleep for a while. Guess we'll find out tomorrow."

"I guess so." Alya set the envelope aside. She shot her kwami a smile. "So, what was that you were saying about a catch phrase?"

* * *

Alya looked up at the imposing gates. "I'm not too certain about this," she confessed to her kwami. "What do the Agrestes have to do with anything?"

Trixx peeked up from her bag. "I dunno, Alya. Ring the bell and let's find out. It's already time."

She pressed the button and the optical eye shot out after a moment. "Yes?" She was stunned to hear the voice of Gabriel Agreste speaking, instead of his assistant.

"Uh, I got a letter that told me to show up here at four," she said.

"Come in." Was it her imagination, or did he sound incredibly displeased?

The gates swung open and she walked up to the house. He greeted her inside the foyer, his lips down-turned into a frown and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Nope, not her imagination then. "Uh, I might be at the wrong place, but-"

"The letter, please," he said, interrupting her. He held out his palm. She quickly rummaged through her bag and produced the heavy cardstock. He withdrew a small pen from his jacket and clicked it. A thin beam of purple light shone from it. He waved it over the card. She caught the distinctive _Gabriel_ emblem illuminated by the blacklight.

"Wow," she said, suitably impressed.

He clicked off the light and stuck it back inside his inner pocket. Instead of acting relieved, his frown deepened. "This way, Miss Cesaire" he commanded, turning and heading toward the dining room. She trailed after him. He threw open the doors and strode in. "If you two rigged this, I'm going to be very angry with you," he said, pointing his finger at two occupants who were in the middle of a conversation.

"What do you mean?" Alya heard Adrien's confused voice reply. She peeked around and spotted Marinette and Adrien sitting at the end of the long table.

"Alya?"

"Hey guys!" she said. "Did you get a letter, too?"

"Letter?" Both pairs of eyes swiveled from Alya to Mr. Agreste. He glowered at them.

"Tell me right now. Did you two set this up so that your friend would get it?"

"What?" Adrien exclaimed. "No way!"

"We were only told to be decoys," Marinette explained. "We didn't do anything, Mr. Agreste, we swear!"

"Darling, is that any way to greet our newest member?" An unfamiliar voice caused Alya to turn, and the others to look in her direction. A blonde woman with bright green eyes entered and smiled at Alya. "Welcome to the team, dear."

Team?

Alya looked around for confirmation. Beside her, Mr. Agreste morphed into a completely different man. The frown melted away into a bright vibrant smile. His eyes lit up and shone at the woman with unashamed devotion. He stepped over to her and wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her close and pressing a tender kiss to her head. His eyes closed briefly as he relished in her presence. Even the harsh angles of his face seemed to soften as he gazed with adoration at the woman.

She sighed and relaxed into his arms. She melted like soft ice cream on a hot summer day in his embrace, and he supported her, shaping around her like the perfect lock-and-key combination.

A sharp pang struck through Alya's heart as she watched the two interact. She realized in that moment that this was what pure love looked like – and her chest was left aching at the sudden loss of something inside her. But how can she feel empty without ever having experienced such a strong emotion herself? She relapsed into pensive silence as she reflected upon that.

Mrs. Agreste – because who else could it be? - turned toward her husband and returned the gentle kiss. It was a completely chaste moment, but Alya still felt like she was intruding upon something intimate. She turned away, looking over at Marinette and Adrien, who, come to think of it, were acting _completely_ at ease with one another. When did that happen?

"I'm Emilie Agreste," Mrs. Agreste said, capturing her attention again. She turned back to the older woman.

"Alya Cesaire," she said. "I'm in the same class as Adrien and Marinette."

"Ah, that explains Gabriel's reluctance," she said, turning twinkling eyes toward her husband. He frowned slightly.

"It's a highly unusual coincidence, that's all," he muttered. "It's only natural to believe that Adrien and Marinette might want to sway the results."

Adrien and... Marinette, huh? No formalities anymore. Her reporter's instincts kicked in.

"We didn't," Adrien insisted. "We were just following orders."

Mr. Agreste turned away and muttered something under his breath that sounded like "meddling old man". Mrs. Agreste giggled and swatted his arm. He perked up at her laugh and wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling his chin into her hair. "Despite how she came to acquire it, she _is_ wearing the necklace," he said. Alya jerked at that. Her Miraculous! She refrained from instinctively slapping a hand over it, looking up to meet Mr. Agreste's knowing gaze. A fain grin danced upon his lips. "I'm a designer," he explained. "Cataloging the details of a person's outfit is as instinctive as breathing to me."

"Necklace?" Mrs. Agreste pondered that for a moment. "That would be... the Fox Miraculous!"

Alya began to sweat. "I don't know what you mean," she said. After all, Trixx impressed upon her the need for utmost secrecy. It was the reason she didn't immediately call Marinette and gush over everything to her last night.

Mrs. Agreste chuckled. "Oh dear, didn't you come here looking for answers?" She looked up at her husband. "What's the name again?"

"Trixx." To Alya's utmost astonishment, Mr. Agreste easily supplied the answer.

"Ah, that's right. You can come out, Trixx, you're among friends," Mrs. Agreste called. "Nooroo's told me all about you."

The flap of Alya's bag opened and her orange kwami popped up. "Nooroo?" she chirped in excitement, wiggling her tail.

"Trixx!" Alya cried, desperately lunging forward to grab the kwami. She missed as Trixx easily evaded her hands. As she made to swipe again, a small lavender creature flew out from Mrs. Agreste's pocket. Alya froze.

"Nooroo!" Trixx screeched, diving forward and wrapping the pale being into a hug. They tumbled over each other in the air in a blur of purple and orange. She wrapped her tail around Nooroo and snuggled into him. The purple butterfly-like being giggled shyly and patted the top of Trixx's head.

"It's good to see you, too, Trixx."

The gears in Alya's head began to turn. "So, uh," she began, looking at Mrs. Agreste. "You have a uh... Miraculous, too?" She stumbled slightly over the magical word, some part of her instinctively trying to keep it secret.

Mrs. Agreste nodded. "Nooroo is the guardian of the Butterfly Miraculous."

Butterfly... Miraculous... the gears in her brain ground to a halt. "You're Papillon?" she asked.

A lighthearted giggle. "I am. It's good to have you on the team."

Team. There was that word again. But the only kwami she could spy was Nooroo... how can... wait a minute. Papillon's partner... her eyes drifted back up to Mr. Agreste. "You're Paon," she declared.

He gave her a faint smile. "You're pretty quick on the uptake," he complimented.

A snort from behind her reminded her that there were two other people in the room. "Not _that_ quick," Marinette muttered. "Might I remind you that Alya is my _best friend_. _And_ she runs the _Ladyblog_."

Alya didn't know why, but that seemed to amuse the two elder heroes. "Oh," Mr. Agreste murmured into his wife's ear. "That's right, I had forgotten."

"What does being your best friend have to do with my intelligence?" Alya demanded, planting two fists on her hips as she squared off against the two giggling teenagers.

Marinette exchanged a smirk with Adrien. "Tikki, you can come out now," she said.

"Plagg, you too," Adrien added.

Two kwamis – Alya was getting good at recognizing them now – popped up from beneath the table. "Wow, you got Miraculouses, too?" Alya squealed. The devious smiles grew. So did her unease.

Marinette fingered her earrings and Adrien placed his hand on the table, tilting his fingers and prominently displaying his silver ring. "Yes, but not exactly when you think we did."

The realization crashed into Alya almost instantly. She wobbled on her feet. There was a noise behind her and strong hands gripped her elbows, supporting her. "Whoa, that one did her in." She had never heard something even remotely resembling a jest from Gabriel Agreste, and now the teasing lilt of his voice as he guided her over to the chair only maintained the surreal atmosphere. Mrs. Agreste was at her other side, sitting in an adjacent seat.

"Have some candies, dear," she said, concern in her eyes as she reached for a plate of sweets in the middle of the table. "That was a bit of a shock for you, huh?"

Understatement of the year. Alya looked down at her hands. "I can't believe I didn't realize my best friend was Ladybug," she whispered. "I'm a terrible best friend."

Marinette shot to her feet and bounded over to Alya, wrapping her up in a hug. "No way!" she declared. "You're the bestest best friend I could ever ask for."

"But I..."

"It's the magic of the Miraculous," Marinette continued. "Actually, I didn't even realize Adrien was Chat Noir until a few weeks ago."

Alya pulled back and shot her friend a look of utter disbelief. She shook her head with a laugh after a moment. "Okay, yeah, that's pretty bad, girl."

"I can one-up you both on that," Mr. Agreste remarked, sitting down in a chair a few paces away from everyone. Instantly the room sobered, like they had just walked into a funeral home. Alya looked around in confusion.

"What is it?" she asked.

Marinette bit her lip, casting a worried glance to Mr. Agreste. He steepled his fingers and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "It's okay," he said. "We need to be honest with each other if we're to work together as a team. No secrets."

"Yes," Marinette insisted, "but now?"

He opened his eyes. "Why not?" He turned to Alya. "I am Paon, yes. And I was Paon all those years ago. But when my wife vanished, my powers were not enough to bring her back. I had to lure out the remaining Miraculouses. Specifically, two others."

Alya gulped. She had a bad feeling she knew where this was going.

"I became Hawkmoth in an attempt to capture the two Miraculouses to bring Emilie back to me."

There was a long moment of silence as Alya processed this new information. All four people watched her with worried expressions. She sorted through it logically. If the four of them were there, that meant that Marinette and Adrien were okay with that revelation. If Mr. Agreste was Hawkmoth, and he wasn't in jail, that meant that... whatever "final battle" occurred nearly a month ago wasn't exactly a battle. She frowned.

"So when you guys said that Hawkmoth was defeated, what exactly happened?"

They all deflated. "You're... okay with this?" Marinette asked, hesitation evident in her voice.

Alya shrugged. "Well, you all seem to be. I got stuck on that fact, though. I mean, what really happened?"

Marinette laughed. The sound broke the remaining tension. Mr. Agreste leaned back with a relieved smile.

They took turns giving a brief summary of the events. When they finished, Alya tilted her head. "You had no idea that Adrien was Chat Noir?" she asked Mr. Agreste. He shook his head. She snorted. "Well, now I know where Sunshine Boy gets his obliviousness from."

"Hey," Adrien protested. "Aside from the Miraculous magic masking Ladybug's identity from me, when _else_ was I so oblivious?"

Alya's grin turned devious. "Well, if you must know," she began.

"We really should be discussing why we're all gathered here!" Marinette shouted, jumping out of her seat. She slammed her palms on the table, startling everyone in the room. "Right?" she looked around. "Right. Now, uh, welcome to the team, Alya!"

Mr. Agreste chuckled, as did Mrs. Agreste, still sitting beside her. "Fine, dear, you're right," she said. "We really need to discuss this newest threat."

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:** Before you all jump on my case about Alya's method of getting the Miraculous, please allow me to explain. I wrote this chapter pretty much in it's entirety last year, well before Season 2 aired, as a planned continuation to the original "No One Mourns a Villain" story. Yes, I KNOW Alya was chosen by Marinette. You don't need to tell me what happened. I also put that this would differ from what Season 2 has given us so far, breaking away from established canon. Because I wrote this a year ago, I already had in mind that Alya needed to EARN her Miraculous. To me, a fitting test would have Alya lose a prime scoop. In the original sequel, I had the heroes vanish for a few weeks with no word. That made her losing out on the first scoop of their appearance even greater. I had to tweak a few things to make it consistent with what I've written so far, but the impact is still there._

 _Because I had this sequel planned out even before I wrote "It Takes a Village", I actually had the background in mind for how these guys met up initially when I wrote that particular story. Your random weird factoid about the author. You're welcome._

 _Also, everyone knows that Tikki and Plagg are together, right? Well, I actually headcanon that Trixx and Nooroo are paired together as "soulmates" and Duusu and Wayzz are each others' "soulmates". I'm not exactly sure how that got started, but it's something I've had imagined for a while. All of the kwamis act like family and are super close, but in terms of bonding and resonating with each other, those are how I pair them up in my mind. Pollen just throws me for a loop._


	27. That looks like it hurts

_Day 29 - "That looks like it hurts"_

If he didn't know Marinette's infamous clumsiness so well, Gabriel would have thought they planned this.

It started innocently enough. A cheerful question to a professional designer from a fledgling designer-in-training.

"Can I ask your opinion on a design element I'm working on, Mr. Agreste?"

"Certainly," he answered, motioning to her as she stood in the doorway to his office. He stood up to meet her.

She approached him, unhooking her backpack from her shoulders and setting it on the floor, rummaging around inside for a few seconds before straightening, holding her sketchbook in her hands. She circled around his desk, flipping through the pages.

"Here," she said, holding it out to him. "I'm trying to design a jacket that incorporates all the elements of our team so far, but I'm stuck on how to get everything in there."

Intrigued, he pulled the book closer. Several jackets were sketched on the page, all of them containing different styles of the heroes.

"See, on this one here," she said, pointing at the first one, "if I use Paon's peacock tailfeathers on the bottom, then I don't know where to put Chat Noir's feature. I could do cat ears on the collar, but I was going to use Rena's ears for that."

He nodded as she explained.

"But if I use Chat Noir or Rena Rouge's tail for one and ears for the other, then I'm stuck on how to use Paon." Her finger drifted to two more sketches, each with the different things she explained. "So I really don't know what to do."

"How were you going to use Papillon and Ladybug?"

"Papillon is easy. I was going to embroider butterfly wings on the back of the jacket. And Ladybug, well, I was going to do a trail of spots on the sleeves."

"Have you considered using patches instead?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, maybe make the back a single, individual prominent design. Focus on each of the heroes and use their element as the main focal point on the back." He turned around and grabbed a pencil off his desk. Hunching over her notebook, he began to sketch beside her drawing, keeping the distinctive wings on the back and adding little circles with designs on them dotted around the rest of the jacket. "Then use patches to show the rest of the team. That way you can tailor to different heroes as a 'favorite', but still include everyone. And it allows for inclusions if we end up getting more teammates. Master Fu is still searching for more holders."

"Oh, that's a great idea! I could use the main image as an enlargement of the patch! That's brilliant, oh thank you, Mr. Agreste!"

He smiled. "You're welcome, Marinette." He turned to walk back to his desk. "Let me know if you need any additional assistance."

"I will, thank you!" In her haste to gather her things, she dropped the sketchbook. She reached over to grab it, overshot her distance, and stepped forward to correct it. Her foot caught squarely on her backpack and she tumbled over. "Ah!"

Her hands slammed into the back of him, shoving him forward. He lost his own balance, crashing into his desk. His head whacked the edge, and the last thing he heard before blacking out was Marinette's anguished cry.

He came to slowly. His head pounded. Voices murmured through the thick fog of fuzziness in his mind.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry! He's probably got a concussion and Adrien is going to hate me and Mr. Agreste will ban me from fashion and I'll never get married to Adrien and I'll never become a fashion designer and my life is over!"

Well, he recognized that voice at least.

"Calm down, dear. Gabriel is going to be just fine. Trust me, he has quite a thick head."

He groaned, firing back with his own witty retort.

It came out as a garbled mumble.

"Oh, he's coming to. Darling, how are you feeling?"

More mumbling.

"I knew it. I've turned him into a vegetable. He'll never be able to talk again."

"Marinette, he's going to be fine. Gabriel, just relax and take it easy for a while."

He opened his eyes. Searing light blinded him. He jammed his lids shut again. Another groan of pain. He squinted his eyes open, adjusting to the light. Two blurry figures entered his periphery. He blinked several times and the images sharpened.

An absolute angel.

And the one who tried to murder him.

He groaned and closed his eyes again.

"Darling, I love you but you can't sleep all day. Poor Marinette is convinced she's ruined you. I told her that would be quite a feat considering your business rivals have been plotting for a way to take you out for years."

He blinked his eyes open again. "A corporate assassin," he mumbled. "I never saw her coming."

Marinette wailed, wringing her hands together. Anguish was written all over her face as she fluttered around him. Duusu perched on her shoulder, watching the entire thing with concern on her face as well. Come to think of it, this was the quietest he had ever seen his kwami (except when she was sleeping).

Emilie chuckled. "He's kidding, dear," she told Marinette.

"I'm so sorry!"

The pain now subsiding with each passing moment, Gabriel pushed to sit up, discovering his head straddled in his wife's lap. "Careful, dear," she cautioned, "that looks like it hurts."

Gentle fingers stroked his head. He winced and hissed when they pressed against the sore spot. "It's alright, darling. I've sent Nathalie for some ice and a doctor. You'll be okay." The fingers moved from the tender location and continued stroking his hair. He smiled in bliss under his wife's gentle ministrations. After a few moments of quiet, he opened his eyes and stared at Marinette.

"I thought you would at least wait for training to take out your anger on me," he joked.

"I'm so sorry!" she wailed again, the hand-wringing restarting with a vengeance.

He chuckled. "It's okay. I'll be fine. Honest. Just... remember this when we actually train, okay?"

She nodded frantically.

"Good." He lay back in his wife's arms and relaxed in her embrace while they waited for the doctor.


	28. Trust

_Day 30 – Trust_

The day had been going well.

Until the portal opened.

Duusu had been watching nature videos on Gabriel's tablet when the announcement broke through, interrupting her program.

She gasped and that alerted Gabriel.

His body reacted even as his blood froze.

This wasn't the minor ether-formed shadows that had attacked in the last couple of weeks.

This was an actual portal.

Just like the one that stole Emilie from him two years ago.

"Nathalie, get the kids out of school," he ordered his assistant. Duusu flew to his palm as he rushed out of his office. "Emilie! It's opened again!"

She peeked her head out from their bedroom. One look at his grim expression told the story. She gasped. "Nooroo, Wings Rise!"

"Duusu, Quills Open."

And in a streak of blue and purple, they shot out of the mansion, headed to the ever-growing darkness.

They were the first to arrive. Without a word they dove into the fray, their bodies acting on instincts born from years of working intimately with one another. He ducked; she struck. She slid while he swiped. Together, silently, they battled the creature to a standstill, halting its glacial advancement toward the heart of Paris.

Papillon turned to scan the horizon, looking for something.

The shadow creature spotted the opening and lunged forward, looking to push Papillon back into the portal.

Paon landed between them with a feral roar. His two fans snapped together and the feathers spread out, forming a small shield. He slammed it into the creature's head, stunning it. His own face contorted into a mask of hatred, his eyes blazing with righteous fury.

"You'll not take my wife away from me again, demon spawn," he snarled, bashing the creature again with his shield as he stepped forward, creating space between them and Papillon. His angry steps advanced their position, and with each whack of the shield he released years of anguish at what he had already lost – and what he almost lost forever.

Papillon watched him in awe, seeing this side of her husband that had never before presented itself to her as he lost his cool stoicism and attacked with fiery malevolence.

Until his steps, fueled by passionate contempt, began to falter.

"Paon!" Papillon cried out a warning.

It fell on deaf ears as he kept swinging, oblivious to the exhaustion driving out the adrenaline.

The shadow struck.

And his arm raised a hair too late – his reflexes too sluggish to react properly.

He let out a cry of pain as the creature crushed his shoulder between it's dark tendrils of energy. His knees buckled and he collapsed on the top of the roof on which they were battling, his teeth gritted against the onslaught of pain.

Then, the pain lifted.

He lifted his head as the creature released him with its own howl of pain. Paon glanced behind him, seeing his wife standing there with her rapier thrust forward. She withdrew and looked to her husband.

"Are you okay?"

He stood with a grimace, gripping his shoulder with one hand. "I'll survive," he gasped out. "But I fear my shoulder will take some time to heal."

They hopped away, retreating a short distance away from the creature to regroup.

"We need assistance," Papillon panted.

He nodded. "Go."

She turned and crouched low while he stood at her back, shielding and defending. His anger had dissipated. The icy countenance had returned. She smiled, oddly reassured by the recognizable expression on her husband. She summoned a white akuma to her hands, cupping it until it darkened into a silky purple. She opened her hands to release it. It fluttered off, where it sank into the red cap of a nearby teenager, who stood watching the battle with fists clenched in determination.

As the familiar pinkish purple akuma mask settled over Papillon's face, Paon swirled the air around them to blind the shadow. When the dust settled, three heroes stood instead of two.

The third hero towered over the other two, his skin solid like rocks stacked on top of one another. He roared, his shout echoing throughout Paris. The shadow creature swiped at him. Enraged, the transformed hero reached to the ground, lifted a slab of energy and hurled it at the creature. The energy slammed into the shadow and it faltered. Paon collapsed his shield and launched one of his boomerang fans at the shadow.

The hero stomped forward, every step reverberating the ground. He swiped at the creature, his fists like two massive trashcans swinging forward.

After the second swing, the other heroes dropped down beside Paon and Papillion.

"Whoa! What is that thing?" Chat Noir exclaimed, pointing at the newly created akuma.

"My hero," Papillon explained with a fond smile.

"I thought that was me," Paon joked with a rakish smile more familiar on his son's lips than his own.

"Oh, darling, you're so much more than a hero to me," Papillon said, turning her warm eyes to her husband.

The flirtatious grin slid from Paon's lips as his cheeks reddened and his eyes widened. His Adam's apple bobbed as he gulped. "I-I... well..." He cleared his throat. "Yes, anyway, we should focus on the fight ahead of us."

Chat and Rena exchanged a grin at his flustered stammerings.

"You're injured," Ladybug said, noting the way Paon nursed his shoulder.

"I'll live," he said before the others could comment. "We need a plan."

"Lucky Charm!" As the red and black spotted object fell into her hands, she scrunched up her nose. "An inflatable beach ball? What am I supposed to do with this? Hmmm." She peered around her, studying her surroundings briefly. Her eyes snapped back to the group now huddled together as the akumatized hero distracted the shadow demon. "Do you all trust me?"

"Always, my lady," Chat Noir answered immediately.

"Of course, girl."

Paon nodded once. Papillon, seeing all the unwavering support given to the tiny hero, nodded along with her husband.

Ladybug smiled. "Then get close. I have a plan."

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:** In the Miraculous Spellbook, an elder version of Hawkmoth is shown with purple akumas around him. I feel that Gabriel corrupts the akumas by blackening it so that it's the familiar mottled black-and-purple we usually see in the show. Instead of a white akuma that is 'cleansed', which I use for Papillon's ultimate "timer" ability of Metamorphosis, I feel her hero-making akumas would be just a solid light violet, much like Nooroo._


	29. Soulmates

_Day 31 – Soulmates_

It didn't take long for the shadow monster to defeat Papillon's hero – and with one shadow swipe the rock hero was cast aside. Dark tendrils of energy leeched out from the shadows of a building and wrapped around the akumatized hero, binding him in place.

The group of huddled heroes didn't notice any of this, still absorbed in their planning.

The shadow advanced, swift and silent. It raised its arm high above its head, aiming for the most prominent target: Paon.

With a decisive roar of victory, it swung down with all its strength, cleaving straight through Paon's head.

Paon vanished in a puff of smoke.

Anticipating resistance as its claw hit Paon, the shadow being put all of its energy into the strike. So when it swiped through air, it stumbled off-step.

"Now!"

The shadow being turned to the voice now behind it, discovering the heroes standing there. Paon stood in front of the group. He strummed his fan, illuminating the feathers. The pendant around Rena's neck flashed as another section of tail dimmed. She continued playing her flute.

With a roar of fury at the deception, the shadow lunged forward, smoky claws outstretched. Paon lowered his fan level to the monster. He waited, confidently holding his stance strong against the rushing demon creature.

"Sonic Scream," he intoned at the last second, snapping his wrist. The pulsating arc of sound shattered the air, freezing the shadow in place. He ducked aside the moment the beam left his fan.

Papillon peeked out from where she had been behind Paon. She held up a white akuma in her palms and blew it to the shadow with a gentle kiss. "Metamorphosis."

The paralysis wore off right as the akuma touched the shadow. It roared as beams of light started to pierce through the darkness.

Ladybug leaped into the air and threw her beach ball at the disintegrating demon. "Go, Paon!"

Paon threw his boomerang at the sphere. The edges of the fan hit it and the sharp points pierced through the thin material.

But this was no normal beach ball.

This was a Lucky Charm.

Instead of a gently puff of air petering out, a massive explosion ripped open, slamming into the stunned and dying monster. It stumbled back and Rena lowered her flute as the last of her illusion dropped: showing the open portal right behind the creature. They had carefully manipulated their positions to place the demon right in front of the portal.

The expulsion of air forced the demon back into the portal right as the last bits of disintegration ripped its body apart.

"Chat!"

"Cataclysm!"

The feline hero pounced forward with one hand outstretched and slammed into where the edge of the portal would be.

Cracks spiderwebbed across the fabric of reality as the portal began to chip and fall before disintegrating entirely. In the aftermath, the heroes stood panting as their Miraculouses beeped down their limits.

"Is it over?" Chat finally ventured to ask.

"For now," Paon answered. His pin beeped. "Let's discuss this back at HQ."

As they turned to leave, a low groan stopped them. They turned to the boy Papillon had akumatized earlier.

"Ah, are you okay?" she asked him as he rubbed his hand against his head. "You did spectacularly as my champion," she praised. "You're very brave."

"Thank you, ma'am," he replied. "But I was only looking for my friends. They ran out of class so suddenly I was worried about them. I can't find them anywhere. When I saw that massive creature, I just wanted to help. I didn't want my friends to get hurt."

"Nino?"

Chat's incredulous exclamation caught Ladybug and Rena's attention also.

"Hey Chat Noir. Nice to see you again, dude. You know my buds, right? Have you seen them anywhere?"

"Actually, Nino, I believe they all ran into the Metro stop over there," Ladybug said, pointing.

"Hey, thanks dudes. You guys were awesome, by the way."

"Thanks, Nino, so were you," Chat said.

Papillon gave him another warm smile. "You did very well for a hero, young man," she said.

"Thank you, ma'am."

More beeping forced the heroes to rise suddenly and dart over to the next rooftop, out of sight of Nino. Paon sighed. "Fine, you three go establish your alibi, _then_ meet back at headquarters," he amended.

The three teenagers nodded before heading off toward the Metro.

* * *

Back at the manor, Gabriel had his shoulder properly bandaged and resting in a sling with an ice pack resting on it. He draped his jacket arm over the sling. He swallowed a few tablets of pain medicine that Emilie handed him, along with some of Master Fu's tea. Then she left to prepare the recharge food for their kwamis. Nooroo and Duusu immediately dove into their respective dishes and began to devour the contents.

It didn't take too long for the rest of the teenagers to arrive. Emilie held out the treats and their kwamis scarfed the food down. The humans accepted the food that Gabriel motioned to on the counter and grabbed platefuls of fruit and finger sandwiches to restore their appetites.

"Are you certain you're okay, Mr. Agreste?" Marinette asked, staring at his shoulder with concern.

He nodded. "I will be fine. It's just a minor injury. It will be healed in a week or two."

"Is that creature gone for good?" Alya asked.

"I don't know, dear," Emilie answered, sipping her tea. "We could ask Master Fu, but somehow I think the answer is going to be 'no'."

The three teenagers slumped.

"Don't act so discouraged," Gabriel admonished. "The last time a portal was so effectively destroyed like this, it held them at bay for two years."

Adrien's eyes widened. "Two... wait, do you mean...?"

"Yes, dear," Emilie said. "That's what Gabriel and I were trying to do. Research and close the portals. They can appear anywhere in the world, but they do have certain preferential focal points. Places they're most likely to show up. That's what we were attempting to research."

"So my Cataclysm can close portals?"

"Well," Emilie said, "it's more of a combination of the right chain of events. The disintegration of the monster at the same time imbued the doorway with too much energy. You sealing it with Cataclysm added to that and it caused the portal to collapse upon itself."

"Will it ever reopen?" Marinette asked.

"That one most likely will never reopen," Emilie answered.

"That one?" Alya asked, her sharp reporter's skills honing in on the loophole.

"Yes, that one," Emilie said. "There are many other potential sites. And many other potential pathways. The shadow creatures can slip in easier between the cracks, weakened and only a faint glimmer of their true potential. Once we see those, we have precious limited time to pinpoint the location and plan for its sealing. We got lucky today."

"Not all luck," Gabriel muttered. "We did have a fair idea of where it would show up. Just not _when_ exactly."

"And that, perhaps, is what we need to study further," Emilie added.

Gabriel winced as his shoulder twinged. He set down his drink. "Forgive me, I am going to take my leave of this and tend to my shoulder. You all did brilliantly out there today," he said, favoring them with a rare smile. "Now go spend some time with your friend Nino. You all deserve a break."

"Thanks, Father!" The boy beamed and a warm flush of happiness shot through him. Adrien didn't hate him. "You were pretty amazing yourself."

And he didn't realize how much he needed to hear that simple praise coming from Adrien until the words left his son's mouth.

"Thank you, Adrien." Gabriel reached over and roped him into an awkward one-armed hug for a brief moment before releasing him.

The kids grabbed a handful of snacks and darted out the door with their kwamis in tow. Adrien shot him one last sunshine smile over his shoulder before he vanished after his friends. Gabriel sighed as they left and Emilie chuckled.

She helped him upstairs and into his pajamas, settling beside him in bed. "It's a bit early for sleep, isn't it?" she teased.

"I'm injured. And achy." Gabriel closed his eyes.

Giggling softly, she curled up next to him. He wrapped his good arm around her. "Why do I get the feeling we might have a new hero joining us soon?" she mused.

He released a long sigh of resignation. "Knowing Fu, probably," he agreed.

"In the meantime, I've come up with another plan on how we can get our oblivious son together with that sweet girl he adores."

Gabriel cracked open one eye. "Oh?"

"We'll need to get Rena's help."

He chuckled. "I don't think that will be a problem."

"Mmm, me neither."

And she snuggled into him, her head rising and falling gently with his breaths. He was so glad he didn't lose her again. Didn't lose Adrien. They achieved a victory today. And despite the lingering ache in his head and the throbbing pain in his shoulder that the medicine was only now beginning to dull, he wouldn't change the outcome of today for anything in the world.

He had his soulmate next to him.

And that was enough.

 _The End_

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:** Super thank you to **PerditaAlottachocolate** for helping with ideas, beta-reading the stories, and her support to encourage me to keep going when I really didn't want to. She's done the themed month challenges before and I applaud her for being more successful at it than I was :)  
_

 _Also, check out her final installment of her super fluffy Marichat story, "Next Rainfall." Again, I'm not a Marichat fan, but this story definitely made me melt with its fluffiness._

 _Final thoughts on this month. I didn't much like it. I'll be honest. I love fluff and I love happiness and warm fuzzies to death. But I didn't like how I stressed myself over coming up with a prompt for each day. It made several chapters way too short for my liking, and the daily updates meant I wasn't able to devote as much time to each prompt as I would have liked, going back and buffing it up and editing it more carefully. There are a lot of chapters I feel could have had... more. More descriptions, more words, more expanding upon the brief moments I created in those chapters, more... world building, I suppose. Had I taken the time I normally do to write the story in its entirety before posting, a lot of these prompts would probably have been ~3k words or so, just because I would have expanded upon a lot of things. It went from "this is my best effort" to "this is good enough for today". And I hated that sense of mediocrity. I felt I was cheating you guys out of something I know I could do better on._

 _So why did I keep doing it? Why not just settle down and focus on one or two prompts? Well, it was a challenge. It was something I had never done before and I wanted to test myself. Also, at the time I decided to write this there was an influx of "bad evil abusive Gabriel" stuff out there (in the form of both fics and other things) and that just makes me super depressed, because Gabriel is my favorite character. I wanted to dedicate this entire month to him and the fluffiness between him and Emilie. But mostly him._

 _Will I do another month like this? No, probably not. The people organizing Fluff Month dropped out and quit promoting the stories and submissions very early on in the month, so quite honestly the only thing keeping me going was knowing that the twenty of you who read this story were waiting for the next installment :) Thank you all for your support, you guys are really the only reason this story was completed!_


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